State government may reveal site of Chennai's second airport on Friday
CHENNAI: The mystery over the site for Chennai's second airport, which is likely to come up at an investment of Rs 40,000 crore, will be clear in the next few days as the Tamil Nadu government will submit its choice from among the two shortlisted sites Pannur in Tiruvallur district and Parandur in Kancheepuram district on June 17 to the Centre.
According to sources, Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu and department secretary S Krishnan will meet Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on June 17 to discuss various pending issues, including the site for the second airport. Officials, however, are tightlipped about the State’s choice of site.
Sources said that once the site gets the Centre's nod, the State will start preparing techno-economic feasibility and Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) reports. Airport Authority of India sources said that OLS report is key for shortlisting the site. The report will look into airspace around aerodromes that must be free of obstacles for safe aircraft operation, AAI sources said.
Similarly, the techno-economic feasibility report will include survey, master plan, financial model, mandatory clearances, and bid management for the greenfield airport site. As per sources, both the sites may have some minor issues. "When there is a need to process large chunks of land, some issues will arise. They can be sorted out," sources said.
Reacting to some media reports about the work for the new airport being likely to start in three or four months, a source said that since it would entail site clearance, in-principle nod, selection of consultants for preparing project report and various other clearances it would take time. No decision has also been taken on the Centre and State’s share respective in the project, sources said.
The hunt for a greenfield airport started in 1999 when AAI and the State government decided to develop a new airport in Chennai. The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation was tasked with identifying the land and Scott Wilson Kirkpatric was appointed as technical consultant.
In 2007, during the DMK rule, the Centre first approved a 4,000-acre site in Sriperumbudur. There were also plans to build the airport on 4,500 acres in Parandur.