KOLLAM: The uncertainty in acquiring land by the Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd at Chavara here has put 300 families near the KMML project area in dire straits. The company had earlier acquired 35 acres from the west of Panmana five years ago and has done no mining works there. The company is trying to acquire another 50 acres near it under the influence of ‘vested interests’ and an MP, say the local residents who have warned of protests against the move.
“The 35 acres of land has been polluted with the waste discharged from the company. The soil has turned acidic and is useless for agriculture. The people residing in the nearby land have been hit by the pollution there,” Mr Bharathan, a local resident, told this newspaper.
The company has mining sites in Kattil and Vellanathuruth regions where mining works are still going on. The local residents have staged several sit-in protests in front of the company against its move to acquire new land in favour of some vested interests, including “some employees with the company.”
An MP and some of the employees are pressurising the company to acquire 50 acres of land in addition to the 35 acres already acquired at Panmana, according to the local residents. They demand that the land around the company should be taken as a whole without dividing it
“The company had attempted to acquire 50 acres of land prior to the elections. However, the move failed because of the elections. The residents want that the entire 200 acres should be acquired instead of small pieces of land,” Mr. Bharathan added.
