GAIL pipeline: landowners to resume protest in Kannur

Protests by owners of plots identified for laying underground natural gas pipeline by Gas Authority of

India Ltd. (GAIL) will be resumed amid renewed efforts to start the work.

A local action committee here said at a press conference on Tuesday that the agitation which began in

2011 would be intensified. Local residents in areas identified for underground gas pipeline laying did not

want to live in constant fear of a disaster, the action committee representatives said. They said that the

proposed laying of the pipeline was against the stipulated rules. As per the rules, no pipeline should be

laid under any land which was used for residential purposes or land on which there is any permanent

structure or land which is close to a dwelling house or land at a depth which is less that one metre from

the surface.

Committee chairman A. Gopalan and convener U. Sayed said that the proposed Kochi-Mangaluru-

Bengaluru gas pipeline is meant to provide corporate corridor for big corporate companies. While the

owners are at the receiving end of intimidation of the police and the administration, there is also an

attempt to deceive people through fake campaigns. As the proposed pipeline laying is illegal, it remains

to be seen how the government can pay compensation for the illegal works, they said.

They said that the action committee would stage a dharna in front of the Collectorate here on August 19.

P.C. George, MLA, will inaugurate it. The resumption of the protest against the gas pipelines coincides

with efforts to ensure takeover of the land for laying the pipeline.

The pipeline covers a distance of 84 km in the district. The first phase work of survey of the land has

covered much of the proposed stretch.

NGS INDIA