Now Reading: Vijay scraps Parandur airport, promises new site
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Vijay scraps Parandur airport, promises new site
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has scrapped the Rs 27,400 crore second airport project at Parandur, citing damage to wetlands and agricultural land. Vijay told the assembly the government would find an alternative site. The decision halts a project that had received in-principle approval from the Centre in April 2025 across 5,746 hectares in Kancheepuram district.
Former CM MK Stalin called the move an irreversible setback. K Annamalai accused the government of pushing development back 10 years. Parandur farmers thanked Vijay and demanded return of acquired lands. India Today reports Chennai airport handled 23.02 million passengers in 2025-26 against 30 million capacity, with Terminal 3 expansion to raise capacity to 35 million by December 2026, giving time for a new site search. The government has not announced a timeline for identifying an alternative location.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The coverage splits along party lines, Business Today and India Today frame the move as a costly call weighed against capacity data, while New Indian Express leads with farmers thanking the CM. Business Today centers the political battle between Annamalai and Stalin but omits farmer and Left party voices entirely. New Indian Express foregrounds farmer allegations of a DMK real estate mafia but provides no government reply. India Today uniquely includes capacity data showing Chennai Airport has breathing room until 2026, suggesting the project deferral is less damaging than Stalin claims. The core dispute is whether land or aviation growth is the priority. The alternative site search timeline and Kancheepuram district fallout are concrete to watch next.
Coverage: 3 sources, 1 government-critical, 2 neutral
Sources (3): businesstoday.in (neutral report), newindianexpress.com (government critical), indiatoday.in (neutral report)
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.
