Chennai’s Second Airport: TIDCO To Float Tenders For Rs 20,000 Crore Project At Parandur By Next Year

The Tamil Nadu government is set to initiate the tender process for Chennai’s second airport by the end of next year.

The project at Parandur, estimated to cost over Rs 20,000 crore, was confirmed by an official from the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO).

Site clearance for the greenfield airport is anticipated after the conclusion of the model code of conduct for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. According to the Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy, 2008, the steering committee's site clearance is essential for airport development.

The state is also awaiting in-principle approval from the Centre and necessary environmental clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change.

A high-level committee, formed to assess hydrogeological and related issues, has submitted its findings. "Any recommendations made will be implemented," stated the official, reports The New Indian Express.

The seven-member committee, established last year, conducted multiple visits to Parandur's villages and waterbodies, examining groundwater, flood levels, and historical rainfall data.

TIDCO officials revealed that land acquisition is currently underway and is expected to take approximately one year to complete. The project demands a total of 4,563.56 acres, spanning 13 villages. This includes 3,246.38 acres of patta land, with 2,447 acres classified as nanjai (wetland) and 799 acres as punjai (rain-fed land), and 1,317.18 acres of government poramboke land.

Chennai’s Second Airport In Parandur

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin announced that a greenfield airport would be built in Parandur, located around 15 km northeast of the popular Hindu pilgrimage city, Kanchipuram.

The new airport is planned with a capacity to handle 100 million passengers per annum.

Tamil Nadu's Minister of Industries, Thangam Thennarasu, said that the construction of the proposed Parandur Greenfield Airport would be completed by 2028.

The project is expected to have an investment-to-return ratio of Rs 100 to Rs 325.

Chief Minister Stalin stated that both, the existing airport at Meenambakkam and the upcoming airport at Parandur, would function simultaneously, catering to the rapidly increasing demand in the civil aviation sector.