CHENNAI: Opposition DMK on Monday condemned the TVK-led state government for deciding to drop the proposed greenfield airport at Parandur, with former chief minister and DMK president MK Stalin in a statement calling the decision “a devastating blow to the employment dreams of Tamil Nadu’s youth” that could derail the state’s industrial growth.
After CM Vijay’s announcement to scrap the project, the opposition DMK sought to discuss it under a special calling-attention motion. Speaker JCD Prabhakar denied it, citing that no discussion would be allowed on announcements made under Rule 110 of the TN Legislative Assembly.
Following this, DMK leaders staged a walkout condemning the speaker. Stalin, in a post on X, accused the government of sacrificing the state’s interests for political reasons. “An announcement of such far-reaching importance being made under Rule No. 110, shutting out any opportunity for debate or even for members to voice their views, is deeply troubling,” he said.
Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin, meanwhile, warned on X that abandoning the project could prompt industries around Chennai to consider neighbouring states and discourage investors from coming to the city.
Talking to reporters outside the Assembly, former minister Thangam Thennarasu said nearly 90% of the land acquisition process had already been completed. He questioned what the government has proposed to do with the land acquired specifically for the airport, and when a study for an alternative site would begin.
PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss, while welcoming the dropping of the Parandur airport project said in a statement the government must quickly identify an alternative site for a second airport. TNCC president Manickam Tagore backed the cancellation in a post on X, saying the government’s own 2022 Airports Authority of India feasibility report had flagged Parandur’s water bodies and low-lying terrain.
Tamilaga Valvurimai Katchi leader T Velmurugan calling the decision a victory for the 13 villages which had opposed the project. He also urged the state to return the acquired land to original owners and not divert it for other projects. “We the leaders” coordinator K Annamalai expressed concerns online and said that dropping the project would push the state back for at least 10 years.