Farmers of some 10 villages in Walajapet and Katpadi taluks in Vellore district are living in fear of losing their lands. The farmers said government officials have been frequently conducting surveys on their lands since 2016. They have also erected pillars on several farmlands and water bodies across a 20-km stretch, bearing markings such as IOCL, TBPL, GPS and IPO.
Giving credence to their fear, a senior official in the district ad ministration on Tuesday told TOI that the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (a group company of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd) has conducted a preliminary survey to take a pipeline project from Manali in Chennai to Bengaluru to transfer fuel. The pipe would be laid at a depth of 1.5 metres and the CPCL would give the right to use the property to the concerned land owners. "After conducting the survey, they will approach the district administration to get proper approval," said the official quoting CPCL officials.
The farmers, however, said that the marking and pillars have been erected in their lands without prior permission. The villages where the pillars are set up are Lalapettai, Kanjanagiri Hills, Nellikuppam, Katharikuppam, Thakarakuppam, Kumanathangal, Kondakuppam, Palleri and Vasur Laskhminarayanapuram.
"We are clueless about the government's plan. We have lost our peace of mind fearing that our land would be taken for some unnamed project," said a farmer in Palleri village, pointing towards a pillar erected on his farmland where he cultivated groundnuts.
Giving credence to their fear, a senior official in the district ad ministration on Tuesday told TOI that the Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd (a group company of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd) has conducted a preliminary survey to take a pipeline project from Manali in Chennai to Bengaluru to transfer fuel. The pipe would be laid at a depth of 1.5 metres and the CPCL would give the right to use the property to the concerned land owners. "After conducting the survey, they will approach the district administration to get proper approval," said the official quoting CPCL officials.
The farmers, however, said that the marking and pillars have been erected in their lands without prior permission. The villages where the pillars are set up are Lalapettai, Kanjanagiri Hills, Nellikuppam, Katharikuppam, Thakarakuppam, Kumanathangal, Kondakuppam, Palleri and Vasur Laskhminarayanapuram.
"We are clueless about the government's plan. We have lost our peace of mind fearing that our land would be taken for some unnamed project," said a farmer in Palleri village, pointing towards a pillar erected on his farmland where he cultivated groundnuts.