“This is the victory of our three-year-long protests,” Ekanapuram resident Janathanan told TNM on Monday, August 24, after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced in the state Assembly that the Parandur airport project would be scrapped.
“We are extremely happy and are planning celebrations this evening,” Janathanan added.
The announcement brings to an end a three-year-long protest by residents of Ekanapuram and neighbouring villages, who opposed the project over the acquisition of farmland and the displacement of residents. Environmentalists had also objected to the project, warning that it would significantly impact the area’s water resources, which include many lakes and wetlands.
Announcing the scrapping of the project, Vijay said the government would identify an alternative site for Chennai’s second airport. He said a few sites had already been identified and would be assessed through scientific studies and technical feasibility assessments before a final location is selected.
The Chief Minister said Chennai’s existing Meenambakkam airport, operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), currently handles around 30 million passengers a year. Given the city’s growing needs, he said a second airport was necessary to meet increasing passenger demand and support commercial development.
However, Vijay said the second airport should not affect farmers’ livelihoods or require residents to be evicted. He accused the previous Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government of choosing Parandur despite these concerns.
“I visited Ekanapuram and other neighbouring villages in January last year and heard their demands,” Vijay told the Assembly.
Relief among protesters
G Subramanian, president of the Parandur Airport Protest Committee, said the announcement had brought immense relief to residents.
“The Chief Minister has saved us from this disastrous project. The announcement has come as a huge relief after the struggle we’ve carried on for years. Chief Minister Vijay has done what he promised. We are now happy beyond limits,” he said.
Subramanian said the villagers also passed a resolution to name a main road in the village ‘Thalapathy Vijay Road’.
Sundarrajan of Poovulagin Nanbargal, an environmental organisation that had opposed the project from the beginning, said the government had faced pressure to continue with it. “The government was under pressure from various lobbies not to drop the project. But Chief Minister Vijay stood his ground and took this decision despite the pressure,” he said.
Suundarrajan also welcomed the government’s decision to expand the existing Chennai airport to meet the city’s growing demand.
Aviation safety expert Captain Mohan Ranganathan also welcomed the decision, saying the need for a second airport should not be used to justify a project that compromises aviation safety. “This is the best decision the CM has made. [This project] was not just about the requirement for an airport, it was more about real estate than flight safety,” he said.
“There are plenty of locations in Tamil Nadu. They should have an expert committee with people who know aviation and aviation operational safety. Bureaucrats and politicians have no idea about what is required,” he added.
Why was the Parandur project opposed?
The Parandur airport was proposed by the previous DMK government in 2022 and was planned across 5,746 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 27,400 crore. The project involved around 2,500 acres of private land, with the remainder belonging to various government departments. By June 2026, around 1,700 acres of private land had been acquired from villages in the Sriperumbudur and Kancheepuram taluks.
The project faced sustained opposition from residents, farmers, and activists over land acquisition, the displacement of more than 1,000 families, loss of livelihoods, and the impact on wetlands and water bodies. The DMK government had accorded it special project status under the Tamil Nadu Land Consolidation for Special Projects Act, 2023, to facilitate the acquisition.
The issue also became politically significant for Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief and Chief Minister Vijay, who had opposed the project before the election. In January 2025, Vijay travelled to Parandur to express solidarity with residents protesting the proposed airport after police denied him permission to visit the protest venue.
After taking office, the TVK government said it would not proceed with the Parandur project and would instead explore an alternative site for Chennai’s second airport. It maintained that it was not opposed to a second airport, but would not support a project that affected agricultural land and water bodies.
The government has since been examining alternatives, including the expansion of Chennai’s existing Meenambakkam airport and other possible sites. A location in Chengalpattu district has reportedly been considered, while the government has simultaneously pushed for an airport in Hosur.
DMK objects to announcement
After the Chief Minister's announcement, the DMK walked out of the Assembly, saying it had sought attention to the Parandur issue.
“We had sought an attention motion on the issue, but CM Vijay made the announcement under Rule 110. This has taken away the opposition’s fundamental democratic right,” former minister Thangam Thennarasu told the media.
With inputs from Samrah Attar