CLRI Nagar residents protest against ECR- OMR link road project

CHENNAI: Residents of CLRI Nagar in Neelankarai, a layout for employees of the Central Leather Research Institute, on Saturday protested against the proposed ECR- OMR link road project.
This state government project starts from Neelankarai, cross the Buckingham Canal and joins the OMR opposite the Pallavaram-Thoraipakkam Road junction.
About 500 people gathered in a peaceful protest outside the Neelankarai police station raising slogans that their houses should not be demolished.
“There are alternative roads to link these two roads. We estimate that around 800 families will be affected because of this project,” said Dr T P Sastry, a CLRI scientist.
“In CLRI Nagar alone there are 220 flats and many of the residents are retired scientists and pensioners. This has caused us a lot of mental agony. We don’t want to lose our homes,” he said.
CLRI Nagar is a private land that was purchased in 1983 by the CLRI House Building Co- operative Society.