CHENNAI: The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has granted in-principle approval for Chennai’s second airport in Parandur. However, the Rs 20,000-crore greenfield project faces significant local resistance, with land acquisition protests intensifying ahead of a key milestone - the 1,000th day of demonstrations in Ekanapuram village on April 20.
Announcing the decision, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu framed the project as part of the Union government’s broader strategy to meet surging air travel demand in metropolitan hubs.
“Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Modi, growing passenger demand is being addressed through the development of second airports in metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai,” Naidu said in a post on X.
Located approximately 70 kilometres from Chennai, the proposed Parandur airport is intended to relieve capacity pressure at the existing Chennai International Airport. The state government had earlier granted administrative sanction to acquire over 2,325 hectares (5,746 acres) of land spread across 13 villages in Kanchipuram and Sriperumbudur taluks.
With the Union government’s go-ahead, the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) is preparing to initiate the land acquisition process, an official told TNIE.
Of the total land required, 3,774 acres is patta (private) land and 1,972 acres is government-owned. Compensation packages, which officials say have been revised upward, are being negotiated under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
Estimates place the cost of compensation between Rs 1,549 crore and Rs 1,822 crore.
However, the project faces stiff opposition from affected communities. Over 1,000 families are expected to be displaced, including 650 from Ekanapuram, which has become the epicentre of the protest movement. While the government has offered 285-sq-ft houses as part of its resettlement plan, villagers remain resolute in their stand.
“We have opposed the land acquisition. Nobody has entered Ekanapuram,” said G Subramanian, secretary of the Ekanapuram Village People and Farmers Welfare Board. “How will the acquisition proceed when no fund was earmarked in the state budget,” he asked, casting doubt on the feasibility of the government’s timeline.
Environmental concerns have also surfaced, with activists pointing to the presence of several waterbodies in the project area.
The issue has gained political momentum following the backing of actor and TVK leader Vijay, whose support has amplified the farmers’ concerns on a nationwide stage.
In addition to the airport infrastructure, land is being acquired for the construction of an access road from National Highway 48, a peripheral road, and facilities for resettlement and rehabilitation.
While central approval marks a critical milestone, the project’s future remains clouded by social, political, and environmental challenges.
