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TN forms expert group to study how to manage water bodies in Paradur airport site
The Tamil Nadu government has proposed a new international greenfield airport to be built latest by 2030 at a cost of ₹20,000 crore with a capacity to handle 10 crore passengers a year
The Tamil Nadu government has set up a high-level expert committee headed by retired IAS officer S Machendranath having members from IIT-Madras and Anna University to suggest remedial measures to protect water bodies at the site of second airport for Chennai at Parandur in Kancheepuram district, 70km from the capital city, a government official said.
The Tamil Nadu government has proposed a new international greenfield airport to be built latest by 2030 at a cost of ₹20,000 crore with a capacity to handle 10 crore passengers a year. The residents of 13 villages will have to make way for land acquisition of 4,791.29 acres, of which 2,605 acres are wetlands.
A senior government official, who was not willing to be named, said that the geography of Chennai and its surroundings is such that it is fully surrounded by water bodies.
“We are aware of the issues on the pattern of water-flow, which is why the expert committee has been formed to study how we can manage the situation and prevent flooding,” the official said.
Headed by Machendranath, who has been government director in public sector companies including Air India and Airports Authority of India (AAI), the committee comprises members from IIT-Madras and Anna University, said a senior government official quoted above.
The government and experts from the industries and aviation sector believe the second airport will bring in more investment and air traffic, which can help in the growth of Tamil Nadu (which aims to be a $ 1 trillion economy by 2030), and thereby the entire southern region.
The official said that the file for the site clearance is with the Union ministry of civil aviation. “The Union minister has sought an OLS from us before giving a site clearance,” he added. An OLS is an Obstacle Limitation Surface which refers to an airspace to be protected for aircraft’s initial and final stages of operations and when maneuvering in the vicinity of the airport, which is a time consuming technical assessment, said officials.
Once the site clearance from the civil aviation ministry is obtained, the state would move on to the next stage of preparing a detailed project report. The official added that the government will also hire an independent consultant soon to prepare the techno economic report for the airport.
These developments come simultaneously as residents of Parandur have been protesting for more than 270 days against the ambitious project. The residents, who are primarily farmers owning agricultural land, do not want to give up their homes and fertile lands even after the government increased the compensation package.
On August 26 last year, the state government announced that they will provide 3.5 times the compensation for each of their lands based on market value, an alternative land to move and a government job for one member of each of the project affected families. The government and the protestors from 13 villages have had several rounds of discussions and the first consensus they reached was last December.
Three senior ministers–Thangam Thenarasu (industries), E V Velu (public works) and T M Anbarasan (rural, cottage and small industries), after two rounds of discussions at the state secretariat said that the protestors have agreed to cooperate for conducting a detailed techno economic report.
The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) had on December 5 floated a tender to appoint a consultant to carry out the techno economic report. This report will include environment impact assessment, environment management plan, and social impact studies.
The epicentre of the protest is the Eganapuram village in Parandur. “Today, is the 274th day of our protest,” said S Bhupathi, a resident of Meleri village. “Tomorrow we are holding a gram Sabha meeting where for the 6th time we will pass a resolution against the airport project.”
Initially, 11 locations were shortlisted near Chennai by the state government. The AAI chose four of these, eventually bringing it down to two locations – Parandur in Kancheepuram district and Pannur in Thiruvallur district.
Last August, the state conveyed its choice of Parandur during a meeting with Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia. The state industries minister Thennarasu has previously explained how the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led government zeroed in on Parandur. When they began scouting airport locations around Chennai there were several constraints such as the Vedathangal bird sanctuary in the south and Paraverkadu, Pulicat lake and bird sanctuary in the north, the presence of Kalpakkam atomic energy plant and the Tambaram air base. So, the Parandur in west of Chennai presented fewer challenges.
