Expansion of SIPCOT complex near Cheyyar town in Tiruvannamalai moves forward with a fact-finding team,led by District Collector,set to evaluate land acquisition for third phase. Minister for Public Works and Sports Development Aadhav Arjuna announced this at meeting in Melma village with farmers,environmental activists,and local reps.
Arjuna stressed balancing industrial growth and agricultural sustainability,promising farmers' rights and livelihoods would stay top priority. “Fact-finding team will study ground realities related to project and submit its report to State government,” he said . Government,under Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay,may drop cases against protesting farmers.
Farmers worried about land acquisition,urged government to use over 1,000 acres already taken in first two phases of SIPCOT instead of grabbing more cultivable land. B. Esaki,a farmer,said, “Cultivable lands in region should not be acquired for industrial development. Alternative arrangements to boost industrial activity should be probed.”
Third phase of SIPCOT project needs 3,174 acres from nine villages,including Melma,Narmapallam,and Kurumbur. This expansion's been in works for over decade,part of a broader push for more industrial activity in region. Revenue officials set compensation at ₹18 lakh per acre,plus extra for trees and farm structures on acquired land.
As fact-finding team gears up for assessment,local community watches closely,hoping for a solution that respects farming and the push for industrial growth…
