Chennai's Second Airport Takes Flight: Tamil Nadu Approves Extensive Land Acquisition In Parandur

The Tamil Nadu government has granted administrative approval for the acquisition of 3,774.01 acres of patta lands.

The second airport for Chennai would be constructed at Parandur in the Kancheepuram district, with two runways.

The patta lands are to be acquired in Parandur and 19 other villages in Kancheepuram district for the establishment of a greenfield airport.

The total land required for the project is 5,746.18 acres, with 3,774.01 acres being patta lands and the remaining being government lands.

Compensation for the land will be determined based on the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.

The chosen project site is in close proximity to the upcoming Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway.

Despite ongoing opposition from various local residents who are concerned about potential displacement, the government plans to acquire these lands either through the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act, 1997, or through private negotiations.

In a Government Order (G.O.) dated 31 October, the state government also granted administrative approval for the alienation of 1,917.17 acres of government lands.

The land acquisition process is anticipated to take at least two years, as indicated by the creation of over 300 temporary posts for this purpose, reports The Hindu.

The proposal includes the acquisition of 1,085.62.33 hectares of wetlands (nanjai), for which inevitability certificates have been issued by the Revenue Divisional Officers of Sriperumbudur and Kancheepuram.

Compensation, rehabilitation, and resettlement for families affected by the project will adhere to the provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.

The state government has also approved a comprehensive rehabilitation and resettlement package, encompassing housing units, employment opportunities, subsistence grants, transportation support, costs for displaced families, cattle shed/petty shop expenses, one-time grants for artisans and small traders, one-time resettlement allowances, and stamp duty and registration fee coverage.

Regarding environmental considerations and mitigation measures for waterbodies and watershed management in the project area, a Government Order issued by the Industries, Investment Promotion and Commerce Department ensures compliance with existing laws based on the recommendations of the High-Level Committee.

The order emphasises that the additional storage capacity created will surpass the capacity affected by the project.

The lands earmarked for acquisition from private parties and those alienated from government departments are situated in various villages in Kancheepuram taluk and Sriperumbudur taluk.

Chennai’s Second Airport Near Kanchi

In August this year, the state 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 at an investment of Rs 20,000 crore 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.

Bengaluru, which ranked fifth in 2008 before constructing a new airport, has improved compared to Chennai, which ranked third in 2008. The current airport at Meenambakkam in Chennai has fallen to the fifth position.

Chief Minister M K Stalin said 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.

Thus, similar to Delhi (Delhi and Noida airports), Mumbai (Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports) and Goa (Dabolim and Mopa airports), Chennai may soon get two airport systems.