2 hrs ago
Tamil Nadu Shortlists Two Sites For Chennai’s Second Airport
Tamil Nadu has shortlisted Cheyyur and Manellore near Gummidipoondi as potential sites for Chennai’s second airport.
The alternatives were identified after the government dropped the proposed greenfield airport project at Parandur.
The Airports Authority of India will conduct a pre-feasibility study and recommend the more suitable location.
Cheyyur may require Defence Ministry clearance, while both sites face technical and regulatory assessments.
The new airport could take at least five to seven years to build after a site is finalised.
- Who
- The Tamil Nadu government, Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, the Airports Authority of India, the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation and opposition DMK lawmakers are involved.
- What
- Cheyyur and Manellore near Gummidipoondi have been shortlisted for Chennai’s proposed second airport, while AAI has been asked to conduct a pre-feasibility study.
- Where
- Cheyyur is in Chengalpattu district, and Manellore is near Gummidipoondi in Tiruvallur district. The abandoned proposal was at Parandur.
- When
- The alternatives were identified within about a week of the government announcing that the Parandur project would be dropped; the AAI report is expected within the next few months.
- Why
- The airport is intended to meet Chennai’s rising passenger demand and support industrial expansion and cargo transportation, while reducing disruption to agricultural land and residential settlements.
Tamil Nadu Government
DMK Opposition
Whether to drop Parandur
Tamil Nadu Government
The government said the Parandur plan should be abandoned to protect farmers, agricultural land and residential settlements, and to address concerns about environmental clearances.
DMK Opposition
DMK MLA S. Austin opposed shelving the project, arguing that the State could suffer an economic setback after substantial progress had been made.
How much progress was made
Tamil Nadu Government
Minister R. Nirmal Kumar rejected the DMK’s claim that about 90 per cent of the project was complete, saying land acquisition had not begun in several villages.
DMK Opposition
The DMK claimed that approximately 90 per cent of the Parandur project had been completed.
Environmental and land concerns
Tamil Nadu Government
The government said the project involved fertile agricultural land, water bodies and canals, and claimed it had advanced without an environmental impact assessment and required environmental clearances.
DMK Opposition
The opposition criticised the decision to abandon the project, although the articles do not provide a separate detailed response to each of the government’s environmental claims.
Key facts
- Shortlisted sites
- Cheyyur and Manellore near Gummidipoondi
- Site locations
- Cheyyur is in Chengalpattu district; Manellore is in Tiruvallur district.
- Distance estimates
- Manellore is reported as roughly 50 to 60 kilometres from Chennai; Cheyyur is approximately 100 kilometres from Chennai’s existing airport.
- Next step
- The Airports Authority of India will inspect both sites and prepare a pre-feasibility report.
- Previous proposal
- The Parandur airport project was planned over 5,846 acres and has been dropped by the government.
- Land acquired at Parandur
- The government said 1,802 acres, or 48 per cent of the planned requirement, had been acquired.
- Construction estimate
- Building the airport could take at least five to seven years after the site is finalised.
Sources
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