Tamil Nadu villagers raise objection to private solar power plant

TIRUNELVELI: Residents of different villages in Manur taluk petitioned District Collector KP Karthikeyan, demanding the state government to stop the efforts to establish a private solar power plant on their farmlands here on Monday. The villagers threatened to raise black flags on Republic Day and boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The residents of Thalaiyoothu, Thenkalam, Nallammalpuram, Thenkalamputhoor, Pallikottai and Alavanthankulam visited the collectorate to hand over the resolution against the establishment of the private solar power plant.

“The private company acquired the farmlands using fake documents to establish the plant. The name change in the patta has been done against the rules. The company is inconveniencing farmers who have not sold their lands by blocking the pathways. The state government should cancel the registrations done by this company, and act against police personnel attached to Thalaiyoothu and Manur police stations for acting in favour of the private company. Since our petition to the Chief Minister and other officials went in vain, we will hoist black flags on our homes on January 26. The residents of our village will also boycott the upcoming elections,” the villagers stated in their resolution.

In another petition, scheduled caste residents of Nallammalpuram alleged that some individuals illegally registered poramboke land, where the crematorium is located, in their name. Acting in favour of the private company, Mannur police personnel also created a pathway for the plant illegally, they claimed.

SDPI functionaries submitted a petition to Tirunelveli district administration officials, demanding roads, street lights and drinking water facilities for the residential units of VOC Nagar, KMA Nagar and Parveen Nagar in Suthamalli panchayat during the grievance redressal meeting.