Kanimozhi condemns Chennai - Salem expressway decision, says it hurts farmers

DMK MP Kanimozhi, in a tweet, has come down heavily on the Centre for telling the Supreme Court that since the Chennai- Salem Expressway project is of national importance, it does not need an environmental clearance.

Criticising the ruling AIADMK government for their stance, the daughter of DMK leader M Karunanidhi queried whether the local government also is agreeing to the anti-farmer approach of the NDA government which has put the livelihoods of thousands of farmers in jeopardy, apart from massive environmental damage with this project.

The Chennai-Salem Expressway is a 274 km-long, eight-lane access controlled greenfield project that would pass through some of the crucial districts of Tamil Nadu including Chennai, Kanchipuram, Tiruvannamalai, Krishnagiri, and Dharmapuri to connect to Salem. Once established, the stretch would not only upgrade the connectivity network between Chennai and Salem but would also do the groundwork for real estate expansion along the corridor. Furthermore, it would also engender new employment opportunities in the region.

A part of the Bharatmala Pariyojana, Chennai-Salem Expressway is a centrally-sponsored infrastructure project that would be developed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The estimated development cost of the project is Rs 10,000 crore. The primary purpose of the proposed high-speed connectivity corridor is to link the existing industrial areas and the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) in the Chennai and Salem districts