Actor Karthi who essays the role of a farmer in his upcoming film KadaiKutty Singam has raised his concern over acquiring agricultural lands for the proposed eight-lane Chennai-Salem Greenfield super expressway. In a recent interview to a leading weekly magazine, he has expressed his anger and dismay in destroying agricultural lands to lay a new express highway earning the wrath of the farmers.

"While there already exists two different routes connecting Chennai to Salem via Villipuram, and another one via Ranipet and Dharmapuri what is the need for a new express highway now? The existing roads that connect to Salem could be expanded instead of laying a new one. What is the pressing need for a new express highway to be laid in Salem at the moment? I heard that about 30 km of precious agricultural land and forest reserves are to be destroyed for this project which I feel is not at all required," said Karthi slamming the newly proposed Chennai-Salem Greenfield project.  

Chennai-Salem Green Corridor Express Highway project Background and Protests

About 100 hectares of reserve forest land in Tiruvannamalai, Dharmapuri and Salem districts will be destroyed to make way for the proposed Rs 10,000-crore Chennai-Salem Green Corridor Express Highway project. Farmers, Political parties and social activists are protesting against the state government acquiring lands for the proposed eight-lane Chennai-Salem Greenfield super expressway. The proposed project will destroy and fragment reserve forest, agricultural lands, and wells and bore wells. 

Despite opposition to the project, the state government appears to be in a hurry to complete the 277.3-kilometre eight-lane expressway connecting Chennai and Salem and started preliminary surveys. 

Prominent among those arrested for speaking against the project are actor Mansoor Ali Khan, environmental activist Piyush Manush and student activist M. Valarmathi. The police have also registered a case against Seeman, founder of the Naam Tamizhar Katchi.