Vadakarai residents stage protest against the land acquisition for Thirumangalam – Rajapalayam – Shengottai National Highway

TENKASI: Clutching DMK flags in their hand, the farmers and residents of Vadakarai staged a protest against the land acquisition for Thirumangalam – Rajapalayam – Shengottai National Highway here on Wednesday.

Following the protest, the officials of Revenue department, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the police were forced to leave Vadakarai without marking the boundaries. The protesters claimed they will lose houses and several acres of farmland if the highway is laid along the earmarked route. “We are cultivating paddy thrice a year. The farmland also has lakhs of coconut trees. The Union and State governments are implementing the highway project to help the owners of some private colleges located on this route,” they claimed.