Now Reading: Chennai drops Parandur airport, plans Terminal 5 between runways
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Chennai drops Parandur airport, plans Terminal 5 between runways
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has formally scrapped the Rs 27,400-crore Parandur greenfield airport project in Kancheepuram district, following years of protests by local villagers and farmers over displacement and environmental concerns, The Hindu reports. Industries Minister S. Keerthana told the Assembly that alternative projects would use the acquired lands. Of the required 5,846 acres, 1,802 acres of private patta land had been acquired, the government has not taken possession, meaning compensation may need to be repaid with interest under Section 93 of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act.
With Parandur dropped, Chennai airport officials told The Hindu BusinessLine that a proposed Terminal 5 on a triangular parcel between the two runways has gained urgency, aiming to boost capacity to about 55 million passengers a year. A key element is a 5.32-km elevated corridor along the Adyar River, referred to IIT for technical assessment. Aviation expert Mohan Ranganathan warned that the low-lying area between runways floods during heavy rain and could submerge the airport if blocked. No project cost has been finalised, and approvals from the Tamil Nadu Water Resources Department and environmental authorities are pending.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Coverage splits sharply. The Hindu leads with the Parandur scrapping, emphasising villagers' protests, legal land-return provisions, and the government's obligation to repay compensation, a government-critical framing that foregrounds displacement. The Hindu BusinessLine focuses on the Terminal 5 plan as a capacity solution, citing officials' optimism, with only a brief expert flood warning tucked near the end, a pro-government framing that treats Parandur's cancellation as settled and moves on. The BusinessLine omits the legal complexity of returning acquired land, while The Hindu omits any scrutiny of the flood risk at the existing site. The full picture: the government trades one airport controversy for another, and the legal and environmental costs of both remain unresolved. The Water Resources Department's approval on the Adyar corridor and the flood-risk study will be the next concrete tests.
The Hindu also notes that in 2022 the DMK government returned 8,373 acres for a shelved power project without recovering compensation, setting a precedent that could apply here.
Coverage: 3 sources, 1 pro-government, 2 government-critical
Sources (3): thehindubusinessline.com (pro government), thehindu.com (government critical), thehindu.com (2) (government critical)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
