CHENNAI: The state government has cleared hurdles to carry out the construction of the new greenfield airport in Parandur by declaring the controversial project as a special project under Tamil Nadu Land Consolidation (For Special Project) Act, 2023.
Since the notification declaring the project as a special project has been issued, presence of waterbodies in the project land will not impede the project as the Act allows diversion of waterbodies for other purposes if the extent of the project is more than 100 hectares. The notification was issued by the state revenue and disaster management department on March 2.
Poovulagin Nanbargal, an environmental organisation, opposed the move and pointed out that the 2,172-hectare project area falls on wetland, catchment area, river basin and agricultural land.
“The airport will affect the natural drainage, flood prevention structures, groundwater and will cause flooding in low-lying areas. The presence of waterbodies remained a major impediment against the project,” it said. The organisation also raised suspicion that the Act has been invoked to remove the hindrances to carry out the airport project, and urged the state government to drop the airport project and to withdraw the Land Consolidation Act that destroys waterbodies.
The Act that was passed in April 2023 in the state Assembly allows projects on land parcels which have waterbodies, channels or streams with certain conditions. The Act allows the project proponents to hand over land in another spot as an alternative to the project land, which has waterbodies or streams.