The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday defended its decision to scrap the Parandur greenfield airport project, saying land acquisition was incomplete and accusing the previous DMK government of proceeding without an environmental impact assessment or the necessary approvals.
The decision triggered heated exchanges in the state Assembly, with the Opposition DMK arguing that abandoning the project would cause a significant economic setback.
Energy Resources and Law Minister R Nirmal Kumar said the DMK's claim that 90 per cent of the work had been completed was incorrect. He said the proposed site contained several water bodies and that no environmental impact assessment had been conducted or environmental clearance obtained.
"The total land requirement for the project is 5,846 acres, including 3,774 acres of private patta land, of which 2,681 acres is fertile agricultural land. Of the 1,972 acres of government land, 1,558 acres consist of water bodies and canals. Only about 1,802 acres, or 48 per cent, have been acquired so far," the minister claimed.
Land acquisition had not begun in several villages, including Ekanapuram, Karai, Thandalam and Siruvalur, Kumar said, responding to DMK member S Austin's criticism that scrapping the project after 90 per cent of the work had been completed would hurt the state's economy.
He said the project had also faced delays under the previous AIADMK government because of the presence of water bodies.
Quoting Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay, Kumar said the expansion of Terminals 3 and 5 at Chennai airport would allow it to handle up to 55 million passengers a year.
Kumar also targeted an alleged real estate beneficiary of the previous DMK government's decision to pursue the second airport project.
DMK member Thangam Thennarasu responded with a "lottery" remark and questioned the rationale for cancelling the project.
The exchange led to protests from both sides, with ruling party and Opposition members standing and shouting.
Speaker JCD Prabhakar appealed for calm and assured members that both sides would have an equal opportunity to express their views.
Meanwhile, former chief minister and AIADMK member Edappadi K Palaniswami asked what the government planned to do with the land already acquired for the project.
He also asked whether the land would be returned to its original owners and whether compensation already paid would be recovered.
On Monday, CM Vijay announced had that the Parandur greenfield airport project would be abandoned and that an alternative site would be identified for Chennai's second airport.
He said the TVK government stood firmly with local communities and would not allow an airport project to disrupt their lives.
Nearly 55 per cent of the land identified for the project comprised water bodies and wetlands, he said, making runway operations highly unsafe and increasing the risk of severe flooding.
Vijay said the government was not opposed to development and would actively pursue an alternative location for Chennai's second airport.
The new site would be selected after detailed technical feasibility studies and would be one where there was no public opposition, he said.
He also said the state planned to establish a fifth terminal on the north-western side of Chennai International Airport at Meenambakkam, adding another 20 million passengers to its annual capacity. Once Terminal 3 was completed, the airport would handle 35 million passengers annually.
"The passenger-handling capacity will totally increase to 55 million passengers through these two terminals," he said.
The announcement prompted protests from the Opposition DMK, which said relocating the project would cause significant economic damage to the state.
The Parandur airport project was initiated by the previous DMK government in 2022 in neighbouring Kancheepuram district at an estimated cost of Rs 27,400 crore.
Local farmers, landowners and villagers, led largely by residents of Ekanapuram, had held prolonged protests against the project, with environmental groups also joining the campaign.
During the Assembly debate, Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjuna alleged that the Parandur airport project involved a major real estate scam and said the TVK government was committed to tackling corruption.
Arjuna said the chief minister had introduced a single-window clearance system to attract industries within 45 to 60 days. He also said a white paper would be issued in five years to showcase the region's economic growth.
Farmers and villagers from Ekanapuram and neighbouring areas met Vijay on Tuesday and thanked him for dropping the airport project. They honoured him with a shawl as a token of appreciation.
(With inputs from PTI)