Chennai, Aug 24:
The Tamil Nadu government’s decision to drop the proposed greenfield airport at Parandur triggered a sharp political confrontation in the Assembly on Monday, with the DMK staging a walkout after its MLAs were denied permission to speak on the issue. Former minister Thangam Thennarasu later warned that cancelling the project could have serious implications for the state’s economic and industrial growth.
Chief Minister Vijay announced in the Assembly that the proposed Parandur airport project would be abandoned and that a new location for Chennai’s second airport would be identified and finalised soon. The announcement drew strong objections from the DMK, with former minister K.N. Nehru questioning how the project could be abandoned after the land acquisition process had already begun.
DMK MLAs raised slogans in the Assembly following the Chief Minister’s announcement. Speaker’s objections to the protests led to a confrontation, after which the DMK members walked out of the House.
Speaking to reporters later, Thennarasu said the DMK had already given notice under Rule 55 seeking a discussion on the Parandur airport project. He said the party had also been informed that its calling-attention motion on the issue would be taken up, but the Chief Minister’s announcement under Rule 110 had effectively prevented a detailed discussion.
Thennarasu said the Opposition had not been given an opportunity to explain the possible economic consequences of abandoning the project. He argued that Parandur had been selected only after studying several locations and that the proposed airport was closely linked to the industrial development taking place in and around Sriperumbudur.
According to him, several electronics and manufacturing companies had established operations in the Sriperumbudur region with the proposed airport forming an important part of the area’s future infrastructure planning. With the industrial cluster expanding rapidly, he said, a second airport for Chennai was essential for Tamil Nadu’s continued economic growth.
“Cancelling the Parandur airport will affect the economy. It is necessary to function beyond political considerations,” Thennarasu said, urging the government to look at the issue from the perspective of Tamil Nadu’s long-term industrial development.
The controversy, however, goes beyond the fate of the Parandur site. While the government has the right to review and alter major infrastructure projects, the decision raises questions over the investment already made in planning and land acquisition and the impact of a change in location on the surrounding industrial ecosystem.
The government is now expected to identify an alternative site for Chennai’s second airport. The key challenge will be to ensure that the replacement location meets the city’s long-term aviation requirements while balancing land, environmental, rehabilitation and connectivity concerns.
With Chennai’s industrial corridor continuing to expand, the need for additional airport capacity is unlikely to disappear. The political debate over Parandur may therefore continue, but the larger question before the government is whether it can provide a credible alternative without slowing Tamil Nadu’s infrastructure and industrial ambitions.