The Tamil Nadu government announced plans for a new airport project after dropping the plans for the greenfield airport at Parandur, on the outskirts of Chennai, on Monday at the Assembly.
Chief Minister Joseph Vijay said that the airport will be proposed at a location where there is no opposition from the people.
The new location will be announced after expert teams carefully study the technical feasibility.
The earlier project was cancelled. The CM accused the DMK government of choosing a site where a large number of people would have to be relocated, besides affecting the agriculture.
The CM said that the TVK government was firm on not allowing the airport at Parandur.
The TN govt is also planning to expand Chennai’s existing Meenambakkam airport by constructing a fifth terminal on its northwestern side. The terminal is expected to handle an additional 20 million passengers annually.
The Chennai airport currently handles about 30 million passengers a year. The number is expected to rise to 34 million after Terminal 3, which is under construction, becomes operational. After the construction of Terminal 5, the number is set to increase to 55 million annually.
The Parandur airport project was set to cover about 5,320 acres of land, which also extended to surrounding villages.
Out of this, about 3,750 acres were private land, which the revenue department was working on to acquire for the airport. The project was being overseen by the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO).
The Central government had also already granted approvals for the airport, including site clearance.
The TVK govt and the CM, however, personally met members of the public who opposed the construction and extended their support.
The government then held meetings with officials regarding alternate locations where the airport could be built. The selection of the new location would be based on minimal impact on agricultural land, residential areas and the livelihood of the locals. Apart from this, the technical feasibility of setting up an airport, aviation safety and runway construction facilities are also being studied by relevant departments.
The CM also announced a major LPG scheme starting on Pongal in January.
“Under the Annapooranai Super Six scheme, free LPG cylinders will be provided to every household in Tamil Nadu from Pongal onwards, beginning January 14. The Tamil Nadu government will credit the amount for three cylinders directly into consumers’ bank accounts."
About Rs 4,000 crore will be allocated annually for the scheme, which will benefit 1 crore 30 lakh families.
