Chennai: The finalization of Paranthur in Kanchipuram district for building Chennai’s second airport was received with mixed response by the people of the villages in and around the 7000 acre of the proposed site as some fear losing their farmlands to the massive project and others are elated over land prices shooting up due to the development of the locality.
With Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation V K Singh announcing the site in the Rajya Sabha, in a reply to a question on the subject raised by DMK member Kanimozhi N V N Somu, on Monday, it resonated at the present airport in Meenambakkam and also in the villages around Paranthur, evoking hopes and anticipation.
Pannur in Thiruvallur district and Paranthur were shortlisted by the Airport Authority of India from four possible locations identified by the State government for the Greenfield airport, proposed to be constructed to ease the congestion in Meenambakkam, which has become too busy of late due to an increase in flight services to Chennai.
Sources in the airport feel that the new airport in Paranthur will be built and managed by the private sector, as is the emerging trend in the aviation sector, and might have top class facilities.
Though Paranthur as a location might be over 68 km away from Chennai and 15 km from the Bengaluru-Chennai highway, it would be just 3 km away from the new Bengaluru Express Highway that would be constructed soon.
The announcement in Rajya Sabha has also put to rest all speculations over the site that had been raging among the stakeholders for quite some time, ever since the proposal for the second airport was mooted.
The selected location, sources say, has more government land and hence acquisition might not be that cumbersome as in many other places for various development projects. Also, they say that there are no high rises in the entire 7 km X 4 km area earmarked for the purpose.
Besides, the area has no tall cell phone towers or sky high electricity installations that could impede free movement of flight from the venue. In fact, it is said that Paranthur scored over Pannur only because the latter has several electricity towers.
Apart from the land prices going up in the otherwise backward locality with a pastoral feel, once work on the Rs 40,000 crore project kicks off, employment opportunities are expected to rise as it is estimated to generate 1.5 lakh jobs, some of which might go to the local people now travelling to Chennai for work.
The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) has already conducted its survey on the feasibility of building an airport in Paranthur and the adjoining villages of Valathur, Ekanathur, Akkammapuram, Tandalam, Madapuram and so on.
Airport sources say that the need for a new airport is highly felt since the passenger traffic at the present airport is expected to touch 50,000 a day by December. As of now, 35,000 to 40,000 passengers use the airport every day and that has become a strain on the infrastructural facilities since the number was only 30,000 prior to the outbreak of the pandemic.
Similarly the number of flights to and from Chennai has gone up to 400 now and might touch 500 by year end.
Since the expansion of the present airport, taken up at a cost of 2,500 crore, might not meet the future aviation needs of the city as there is no space around the premises to add more facilities, aviation experts have suggested the second airport as the alternative. And it might come true, now that the site has been named.
