Villagers fiercely oppose land acquisition for gas pipeline project

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Nov 24, 2011: The officials of a private company dealing with the central government’s gas pipeline project walked out of the venue half way through a meeting the company had convened on Nov 24 Thursday to discuss land acquisition with the local farmers because the project was fiercely opposed. 

The gas pipeline project has been initiated by the central government to facilitate the easy supply of natural gas from Thirutthani in Tamil Nadu to other parts of the country. Accordingly, the project includes the laying of underground pipelines in Addur, Mulur, Thenkulippady, Kandavar, Maravoor, Malavoor, and Adyapady. A private company called Rilogistic Infrastructure Limited is dealing with this project in Karnataka. 

 

 

 

The company officials sent a notice to the villagers to attend a meeting to discuss land acquisition for the project and around 500 farmers came for the meeting. However, the farmers were furious when the company officials and the tahsildar asked them to sign on a blank document. 

The furious farmers alleged that most of the agricultural land has already been acquired through foul means by companies such as MRPL and MSEZ and for projects such as the runway extension of Mangalore Airport. They pointed out that the notice mentioned that the meeting was being held only to discuss the issue and opposed the company officials move to make the farmers sign blank documents. 

The officials, who could not answer the farmers in a satisfactory manner, left the venue halfway through the meeting. The angry villagers complained that private companies are attempting to forcibly acquire their land and threatening to charge them under the Petroleum and Minerals Pipeline Act of 1962.
One of the villagers said that the notice sent to him contained only the survey number, but not the actual sketch of the places through which the pipeline is to pass. He said that the farmers are asked to give up their land at rates much lower than the market value. While a few farmers signed the blank documents, the move was opposed by many people. 

Another villager said that the villagers had submitted a letter objecting the proposed pipeline project last month at a Taluk Panchayat meeting. 

The private company, however, has refused to make any public statements.