Residents firm on not giving land for gas pipeline

The families who will be affected with GAIL pipeline project between Kochi and Mangalore have formed Kochi-Mangalore Gaspipeline Santhrastara Horata Kriya Samithi and have clarified that they will not give up their land even if the authorities pay highest amount for the land. 

Addressing a press meet here on Tuesday, Rajaram Bhat of the samithi said that the Central government and Supreme Court has given guidelines for acquiring land for development work. However, the GAIL authorities have sidelined the guidelines and have started the acquisition process. 

As many as 132 households in Balepuni, Kairangala, Kurnadu and Pajeer villages have been living with fear of losing land. “The authorities had already acquired land for setting up of software park and MSEZ in the region. If the land is acquired for laying pipeline, then it will have an impact on the lives of the people. A protest meeting will be held at Mudipu on August 1.” 

The protest meeting will urge the authorities to shift the pipeline project, he said. 

A sense of fear has gripped the villagers because the company has said that pipeline will be laid about one and half meters beneath and that they will acquire the land and once the project is over, the land will be handed back to the villagers. This comes with a clause. The villagers cannot use the land later as per their wish. They can not put up any permanent structure or plant saplings over the land where the pipeline is laid. “We do not want to destroy the trees grown in our land. However, the environment department is silent over the issue.” 

Few officials are trying to get the signature of the villagers for acquiring the land by giving false details, he alleged.