Villagers climb atop water tank to protest against airport expansion in Tamil Nadu

Villagers in Tamil Nadu’s Madurai district protested against the proposed land acquisition for the expansion of the Madurai airport. On Sunday (November 17), nearly a thousand police personnel were deployed to the area to manage the growing unrest.
The protest intensified when 16 villagers climbed atop a water tank, threatening to jump if the government did not offer them alternative land for resettlement. Despite efforts by district officials to negotiate, many villagers refused to back down.

During the standoff, three women collapsed due to exhaustion and were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

While some protesters agreed to temporarily stop their protest after talks with officials, a significant number of villagers continued to resist. They have set up makeshift tents in open fields, vowing to stay until their demands are met.
The district administration has given the villagers until Saturday (November 23) to vacate the area, but the protesters remain firm in their stance, demanding an immediate halt to the land acquisition process.