Chennai, Aug 24:
Slamming the ruling TVK headed by Chief Minister Vijay for abandoning the Parandur greenfield international airport, Opposition DMK President M K Stalin on Monday said dropping the proposed aiport was not change, but an irreversible setback for Tamil Nadu’s growth.
The Parandur airport was proposed by the previous DMK regime headed by Stalin and it had triggered prolonged protests by locals and farmers.
Observing that TN’s interests could not be mortgged for petty political considerations, the DMK President said without industrial growth, it would be impossible to achieve the economic targets of one trillion USD or 1.5 trillion USD.
Terming the decision as the one taken without foresight, planning or consultation, he said this decision by the TVK government was a devastating blow to the employment dreams of Tamil Nadu’s youth.
It was deeply troubling that an announcement of such far-reaching importance was made under Rule No. 110 in the State Assembly, shutting out any opportunity for debate or even for members to voice their views.
“Dropping Parandur is not Change. It’s an irreversible setback for Tamil Nadu’s growth. The announcement made today by the Chief Minister to drop the Parandur International Airport project will set the State’s development back by several years. Tamil Nadu’s interests cannot be mortgaged for petty political considerations”, Stalin said in a statement.
Pointing out that Tamil Nadu leads the country across sectors, from electronics exports to automobiles, he said a world class airport in its capital is not merely desirable, but absolutely essential.
“Rejecting such a vital project is not change…It is a massive disappointment”, he added.
Stalin said the site was carefully selected after evaluating all available alternatives, and the land acquisition process has been almost completed. “With several stages of preparatory work and approvals already completed, we had drawn up plans to ensure that construction could begin at a rapid pace once we returned to office. If the new government now starts all over again, identifies another location and goes through the entire process before work can even begin, Tamil Nadu’s growth trajectory itself will drop”, he added.
Under the DMK’s Dravidian Model government, Tamil Nadu became the first port of call for investors. This decision (to shelve the Parandur airport project) threatens to push the State to the bottom of the table. The Chief Minister’s announcement is nothing short of a jackpot for competing States, he said.
“Without industrial growth, economic targets of one trillion USD or 1.5 trillion USD are simply impossible to achieve. Taken without foresight, planning or consultation, this decision by the TVK government is a devastating blow to the employment dreams of Tamil Nadu’s youth”, he added.