: In its efforts to protect interests of farmers, the Tamil Nadu Government today asked the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) to immediately stop laying pipes through agricultural land for the Kochi-Bengaluru Gas Pipeline project.
Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, replying to a special call attention moved by opposition parties, including DMK and CPI(M), told the Assembly that government has directed GAIL to lay the pipes on roadsides along National Highways to ensure that farmers don't lose their arable lands.
She said affected farmers had aired grievances against GAIL during a three-day meeting with Chief Secretary Sheela Balakrishnan, including losing a large part of their land to the Central PSU, affecting the agricultural prospects.
Other issues included loss of value of land, banks not extending loans, GAIL's persistence to stick to the original design despite availability of alternatives in some areas and possibility of leakage of gas, she said.
Jayalalithaa said farmers told the government GAIL had not secured their wholehearted consent and that the project was implemented without furnishing them adequate information.
She said GAIL had informed the government in a recent letter that if it were to lay pipelines on roadsides on National Highways for the 310 km project, it could lead to problems like traffic snarls, and that National Highways Authority of India generally does not approve such projects.
Safety and maintenance and changes in plan were other issues, she said, quoting a GAIL communication.
She said her government has carefully studied contentions of both sides and GAIL had not come up with strong technical explanations for its inability to lay pipelines on roadsides.
"On the contrary, farmers explained in detail how their livelihood will be affected. Nobody will accept any justification that industrial growth should be attained at the cost of farmers. National interest and loss to people should also be factored in (while executing) a project," she said.
Laying pipelines on roadsides would not only address the gas needs of industry, but also help farmers' livelihood in this case in seven districts, she said.
Accordingly, government has come up with a five-point decision which includes asking GAIL to immediately stop laying pipes through agricultural lands.
Instead, it should be taken up on roadsides and GAIL should not only close pits dug for the project, but return the land to farmers and owners in its original shape, she said.
"To enable farmers carry on with their vocation, GAIL should remove pipes which have already been laid and provide compensation to those who have not been given it," she said.
Further, steps would be taken to withdraw all cases filed against farmers in this connection, she said.
"My government is determined that schemes are for the people and not the other way round," she said, adding that her government would not encourage any project that affects people's livelihood.
