The PMK will file a caveat in the Supreme Court if the State government appeals against the Madras High Court order quashing the land acquisition proceedings for the eight-lane Salem-Chennai Expressway project.
“We will oppose it (the State government’s appeal) in the Supreme Court and I will file a caveat in the Supreme Court,” said PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss here.
Speaking to the media along the campaign route and also in Dharmapuri in the wake of the ruling, the PMK leader and the candidate for Dharmapuri Lok Sabha constituency took credit for the High Court order but went easy on the Centre and State government for pushing the expressway project.
Dr. Anbumani said, “We welcome the High Court verdict. The case was filed in my name, after public hearings were held in all villages. I had filed the case as a representative of the people. No development can happen at the cost of agriculture and ecology.”
Stating that the PMK manifesto has stated its opposition to the eight-lane highway project, Dr.Anbumani said, “We might be in the alliance, but we will not give up our ideology.”
Asked about DMK leader M.K.Stalin’s poser to the PMK, if the latter would quit the alliance in the event of the State government appealing against the verdict, Dr.Anbumani said, “Mr. Stalin, who had not raised his voice against the project, is not qualified to question the PMK.”
According to Dr.Anbumani, the project was unnecessary as there was already the Vaniyambadi-Salem four lane expansion project (NH 179 A expansion) that traverses the same route as the eight-lane project: Vaniyambadi, Tirupathur, Uthangarai, Harur, Paapireddypatty, Manjavadi, Ayodipattinam, and Salem. The Centre had allocated ₹521 crore and works had started, he said.