CHENNAI: Twenty months after vowing to stand by farmers and villagers of Ekanapuram, CM C Joseph Vijay on Monday announced the scrapping of the Rs 27,000-crore Parandur greenfield airport project. The DMK staged a walkout after the announcement was made under Rule 110 in the Assembly.
“As I had already assured, the steps taken to build a new airport at Parandur will be dropped by this government,” the CM said, fulfilling a promise he had made during his public meeting at Vikravandi in October 2024 and visit to Ekanapuram on January 20, 2025.
Vijay said that after consultations with sector experts and academics, a few suitable alternative sites have been shortlisted for the new airport which would avoid major impact on farmland and houses.
Reacting strongly to the development, DMK chief M K Stalin said, “The decision will set the state’s development back by several years.”
‘Once 3rd terminal work is over, old airport can handle 35 million flyers’
“TN’s interests cannot be mortgaged for petty political considerations. This is a “devastating blow” to the employment dreams of TN’s youth,” Stalin said in a post on X.
Speaking in the Assembly, Vijay said the government would identify an alternative site for the second airport and expand the Chennai International Airport at Meenambakkam by establishing a fifth terminal on the north-western side of the facility. He said the existing airport could meet the state’s immediate requirements.
“Meenambakkam facility currently handles about 30 million passengers a year. Once the ongoing work at the third terminal is completed, the airport will handle 35 million passengers per year. The passenger handling capacity will increase to 55 million through these two terminals,” he said.
Regarding the shortlisted suitable alternative sites for the new airport, he said, “A detailed study of the technical feasibility of these sites will be carried out by the relevant departments, and the location for the new airport will be finalised soon.” With this decision, TN is back to square one in its 27-year-old search for a second airport.
The decision marks the second time a proposed second airport for Chennai has been scrapped, with both sites having been identified by DMK governments — the first under M Karunanidhi and the second under MK Stalin. The fallout extends beyond the airport project. The previous DMK government had planned a metro rail link, logistics park and several other infrastructure projects with Parandur as the focal point. These projects may now have to be reviewed or rolled back.
Parandur was identified after the proposal for an airport at Sriperumbudur was abandoned. The project, estimated to cost around Rs 27,000 crore, was proposed to be developed in four phases, with the first phase alone requiring an investment of Rs 13,854 crore. The state proposed acquiring about 5,746 acres across 13 villages, comprising both private and government land, and offered compensation of 3.5 times the market value along with 285 sqft of resettlement homes for each displaced family.
Official sources said 1,700 acres of land was acquired but refused to provide details on the amount spent on compensation. Industries Minister S Keerthana is likely to announce details pertaining to the money spent by the previous DMK government on the project.
Villagers of Ekanapuram, the largest village affected by the Parandur airport which has around 2,500 residents, celebrated the CM’s announcement and burst crackers in front of Ambedkar statue in the village. “We intend to meet the CM and invite him to our village,” said G Subramanian, Ekanapuram Village People and Farmers Welfare Board secretary.
Former DMK minister Thangam Thennarasu said nearly 90% of land acquisition was already complete, with compensation paid, and questioned the fate of that land and of linked infrastructure, including a metro rail corridor and the Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway.
CII Southern Region and CREDAI Chennai called for a clear, time-bound aviation strategy built on two priorities: strengthening Chennai International Airport at Meenambakkam as the state’s primary gateway and accelerating identification of an alternative greenfield site.
“An airport is far more than a piece of transport infrastructure for a capital city and economic powerhouse like Chennai. It is a strategic enabler of economic growth, global competitiveness, trade, tourism, investment, and job creation,” said Ravichandran Purushothaman, CII Southern Region chairman.
New terminal for old airport
The govt will now identify an alternative site for the second airport and expand the Meenambakkam Airport by establishing a 5th terminal on the north-western side of facility