Chennai's Second Airport: Land Acquisition To Commence Soon At Parandur With Appointment Of Special Officer

In a significant move towards the construction of Chennai's second airport in Parandur, the Tamil Nadu government has appointed a special district revenue officer to oversee the crucial land acquisition process.

The appointed officer will play a pivotal role in expediting the land acquisition, a key phase in the establishment of the new airport.

The special officer will wield authority in issuing notifications, conducting negotiations, determining prices, submitting proposals to the government, and publishing relevant information.

Additionally, the officer will conduct public hearings to address the concerns and grievances of residents whose lands are slated for acquisition.

The entire land acquisition process is anticipated to span at least a year, with commencement expected in the coming months.

Despite the scheduled timeline, there are concerns that the process may be extended further due to strong opposition from residents and farmers. The affected communities fear that the airport project will adversely impact their livelihoods, leading to ongoing protests against the development, reports The Hindu.

Last year, the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) applied for site clearance to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Louis Berger, tasked with preparing the detailed techno-economic report, initiated work shortly thereafter.

In October, the Ministry of Defence granted site clearance, and the state government provided administrative sanction for the project.

The ambitious endeavour requires a total of 5,746.18 acres of land, of which 1,917.17 acres are already government-owned, while the remaining 3,774 acres will need to be acquired through the ongoing land acquisition process.

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.

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.