CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has decided to abandon steps to establish the proposed greenfield airport at Parandur, chief minister C Joseph Vijay announced in the Assembly on Monday, saying the project would affect agricultural land and disrupt the livelihoods of farmers and residents.Vijay said Chennai needs a new airport because of rising passenger traffic, industrial development and increasing cargo movement. However, he said the new airport should be located at a site where agricultural land and residential areas are minimally affected.Speaking in the Assembly, Vijay said Chennai’s Meenambakkam airport, operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), currently has the capacity to handle around 30 million passengers annually. With Terminal 3 becoming operational, the capacity is expected to rise to 34 million passengers per year, he said.The government is also planning to construct a fifth terminal on the northwestern side of the existing airport, which Vijay said would add another 20 million passengers annually.Vijay said he had visited Eganapuram and other villages on January 20, 2025, and heard the grievances of residents protesting against the Parandur airport project.“I stand firmly with the people protesting against the airport to be established in Chennai’s Parandur and 12 surrounding villages,” he said.Calling farmers the backbone of the country, Vijay said the government would not allow an airport project that disrupted agricultural land and people’s livelihoods.He said he had opposed the Parandur project at a public meeting in Vikravandi in October 2024, while maintaining that he supported industrial development and the role of airports in promoting it.“However, this project should not be located in Parandur. The government must reconsider this project,” Vijay said, adding that an alternative site should be identified where minimum agricultural land was affected and people’s livelihoods were not disrupted.Vijay said consultations had been held with senior officials and experts on the proposed airport.“To fulfill the promise I made to the people that day… the steps taken to establish a new airport in Parandur will be abandoned by this government,” he said.The chief minister said new sites were being considered and the location would be finalised soon after a technical feasibility study by expert teams.He also accused the previous DMK government of selecting a site that would require the relocation of a large number of people and affect agricultural land.The Civil Aviation Ministry had granted in-principle approval in April 2025 for setting up an international greenfield airport at Parandur in Kancheepuram district.The announcement drew sharp criticism from the opposition DMK.Former Tamil Nadu minister and DMK MLA Thangam Thennarasu said scrapping the project for political reasons would cause economic damage to the state and could prompt industries to move to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.“Possibilities for setting up two runways were all studied and only then Parandur was selected,” Thennarasu told reporters.He said former chief minister MK Stalin had stated that the Parandur airport project would be dropped, but the state government had not conveyed any such decision to the Centre.Thennarasu also said compensation had already been provided to people whose land was acquired for the project.“As per the Land Acquisition Act, the land acquired should be used only for the purpose for which it was acquired,” he said.He maintained that Parandur was the best location for the proposed airport and warned that abandoning the project could have wider economic consequences.“It would be best to have the airport at Parandur. Dropping the Parandur Airport project for political reasons will cause economic damage,” Thennarasu said.He also warned that several industries could shift to Andhra Pradesh if the project was scrapped.“Many industries will move towards Andhra Pradesh. We have already lost the Hosur Airport,” he said.The DMK also staged a walkout from the Assembly, protesting against being denied an opportunity to speak in the House on the Parandur airport issue.The Vijay government’s decision means the state will now have to identify an alternative location for Chennai’s proposed second airport while expanding capacity at the existing Meenambakkam facility.(With agency inputs)
