Villagers in Nagapattinam opposing CPCL land acquisition abstain from Lok Sabha voting

Following their original plan, hundreds of people from three panchayats in the district boycotted Friday’s general election in opposition to CPCL’s purchase of land for a plant expansion. Residents of Panangudi, Gopurajapuram, and Narimanam have been holding protests, flying black flags outside their homes, and, most recently, sending postcards to the chief electoral officer (CEO) declaring a boycott of the polls due to “official apathy” to their requests over the course of the previous month. Their primary requests are employment and fair recompense for the land that was divided for the CPCL project.

“We patiently awaited invitations from authorities, including the district collector and the RDO, to meet and discuss our requests, which included employment and compensation. They didn’t, however. Thus, we abstained from the election because we feel that our means of subsistence were disregarded,” said S. Kalalyarasan of Narimanam, who donated an acre of land to CPCL so that it could expand its refinery.

Panangudi farmer K Maran said, “Our struggle is not over,” after donating three acres to CPCL. We will not stop using all available channels to protest until the proper price for the lands we gave up is paid.

Panangudi locals showing off their uninked fingers on Saturday Nagapattinam people opposing CPCL land acquisition company via boycotting the polls