CHENNAI: The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has urged the state government to develop an aerocity around the proposed site of second airport. CII Tamil Nadu Chapter chairman Satyakam Arya who met Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu at the Secretariat on Monday has pushed for the aero city, which could also have a state-of-the-art convention centre to host global conferences and exhibitions. The aerocity can have facilities for maintenance and repairs, aviation ancillary units and commercial establishments, he said.
Stating that the need for a second airport for Chennai was a long-standing recommendation of CII, he said the proposed green field airport would boost the economy by bringing new investment into the State. It would create direct and indirect employment, enhance infrastructure and improve regional and global connectivity, he added.
The new airport will bring cheers to tier II and III towns as it would ease the last mile connectivity, encourage exporters and also promote international tourism, added Arya. Shankar Vanavarayar, Vice Chairman, CII Tamil Nadu, while appreciating the new airport announcement said that in order to enhance industrialisation from Chennai towards Parandur, the State may roll out special schemes and incentives for industries and also consider including the expansion of the metro service from Chennai to Parandur.
A dedicated/designated service line to connect the existing airport with the new airport in around 30 minutes will help passengers in transit, he said. J Murugavel, Chairman, CII Chennai zone, said the IT sector will be benefit a great deal and this would pave the way for additional IT businesses to set up offices in Chennai. More international incoming and outbound travel of business travellers will increase business opportunities and spur economic growth, which surely will help to achieve the one trillion-dollar economy by 2030.