Chennai
oi-Prakash KL
The future of the proposed Parandur Greenfield Airport project has once again come under intense scrutiny after reports in sections of the Tamil media claimed that the newly elected Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government may be preparing to shelve the mega infrastructure plan and repurpose a portion of the acquired land for industrial development.
According to reports emerging from official circles, discussions are underway within the Tamil Nadu government over the possibility of establishing a SIPCOT industrial park on nearly 1,700 acres that had already been acquired for the airport project. While no formal announcement has been made yet, the developments have triggered fresh political and public debate over one of Tamil Nadu’s most controversial infrastructure proposals in recent years.
The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam government is reportedly considering shelving the Parandur Greenfield Airport project near Chennai, with discussions underway to repurpose nearly 1,700 acres of acquired land for a SIPCOT industrial park.
The Parandur airport project, spread across around 5,700 acres covering 13 villages in the Kancheepuram and Sriperumbudur regions, was conceived as Chennai’s second international airport. The project was expected to ease mounting pressure on the existing Chennai airport, which currently handles more than 22 million passengers annually. Even after planned expansion works, the current airport’s capacity is projected to rise only to around 35 million passengers, prompting the earlier government to push for a larger alternative capable of handling nearly 100 million passengers every year in the long run.
However, from the beginning, the project faced stiff resistance from local residents and farmers, who feared displacement, loss of agricultural land, environmental damage, and the impact on water bodies in the region. Protests continued for months, with villagers organising demonstrations and demanding that the project be withdrawn altogether.
Before coming to power, TVK founder and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay had openly expressed support for the protesting farmers. During his election campaign, Vijay had assured local communities that the Parandur airport project would be scrapped if his party formed the government.
Despite the opposition, the previous administration had accelerated preparatory work for the project over the last two years. Land acquisition activities were carried out through an extensive revenue department exercise involving district revenue officers, Tahsildars, surveyors, and hundreds of government personnel working across multiple units. Officials state that approximately 1,700 acres – close to 30 per cent of the total requirement – have already been secured.
Interestingly, officials have clarified that much of the acquired land was not taken under compulsory acquisition laws. Instead, several landowners reportedly executed direct registration deeds in favour of the government.
Now, with the TVK government in office, the project appears to have entered an uncertain phase. Senior officials, including the Chief Secretary, TIDCO representatives, and airport project authorities, are believed to have held consultations on the matter recently. Sources within the revenue department claim that land acquisition activities have effectively been paused pending a final policy decision.
Officials also noted that the current acquisition authorisation is valid only until October under an existing government order. If the airport proposal is officially abandoned, returning the already acquired land to original owners may not be legally straightforward, they added.
At present, the government has not issued any final decision either on cancelling the airport or converting the acquired land into a SIPCOT industrial hub. With both economic development and political commitments at stake, the fate of the ambitious Parandur airport project remains uncertain.
