Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay announced the cancellation of the proposed Parandur greenfield airport project and said an alternative site would be identified.
The decision halts a major infrastructure effort in the Kancheepuram district near Chennai. It marks a significant shift in regional planning to prioritize agricultural land rights, and environmental protections over immediate industrial expansion.
Chief Minister Vijay said, "I stand firmly with protesting farmers."
The project was planned to cover 5,746 hectares [1] with an estimated cost of 27,400 crore rupees [1]. The government's decision follows sustained protests from local farmers who opposed the acquisition of their land. Officials also cited concerns regarding the presence of wetlands, and the overall suitability of the soil for runway construction.
The Parandur site had been the focus of intense debate regarding the balance between urban growth and rural preservation. By scrapping the project, the state government seeks to resolve the conflict with the farming community while still pursuing the goal of expanding aviation capacity in the region.
The Tamil Nadu Congress has expressed support for the decision. However, other political figures have warned that abandoning the site could result in significant delays for the state's infrastructure goals. One such warning suggested that dropping the new airport could cost the region 10 years of progress.
The administration has pledged to identify a new location that avoids the environmental and social pitfalls of the Parandur site. The government has not yet released a timeline for the selection of the alternative location.
“"I stand firmly with protesting farmers"”
The cancellation of the Parandur project reflects the political weight of the agrarian vote and the increasing influence of environmental sustainability in Indian infrastructure planning. While the move resolves immediate social unrest, the state now faces the challenge of finding a site that satisfies both technical aviation requirements and local land-use objections without further delaying the region's economic growth.
