Residents of 13 villages are marking 300 days of continuous protests against the proposed greenfield airport at Parandur, which would result in the loss of agricultural land for these communities. The protests began when it was announced that the new airport, intended to serve Chennai, would be built in the area. The residents have been demanding the withdrawal of the project, citing the potential loss of thousands of acres of agricultural land. They insist that the airport should be constructed elsewhere, preferably on non-agricultural land.
Elangovan, one of the organisers of the protest, affirmed their commitment to peaceful demonstrations until the state government heeds their demands. The protestors expressed concerns about the destruction of water bodies spanning several thousand acres of land as a consequence of the airport's construction. To highlight their opposition and protect the region's water bodies and groundwater, they announced their intention to stage a protest in the Eganapuram river.
A statement by the protestors released on Sunday, May 21 says, “The plans for the Parandur airport show that water bodies in several thousands of acres of land will be destroyed. To condemn this move and in order to protect the area’s water bodies and ground water we will protest standing in the Eganapuram river.”
The affected villages, located in Kanchipuram and Sriperumbudur districts, have been protesting daily since the airport project was announced in August of the previous year. The proposed greenfield airport would occupy approximately 4,971 acres of land in Parandur. Notably, a greenfield airport refers to a new airport constructed from scratch in a new location. The distance between Chennai city and Parandur is approximately 73 km, with a travel time of around 1 hour and 54 minutes.
The primary concern for the residents of the 13 protesting villages is the potential loss of their ancestral properties, including homes and agricultural land, if the airport project proceeds. Elangovan expressed scepticism regarding the state government's promises to conduct environmental impact surveys, as they doubt that the results will favour the people's interests. The protestors suspect that the survey findings will align with the state government's agenda rather than genuinely addressing their concerns.
Elangovan while speaking to TNM also said that, “The state government says that they will carry out environmental impact surveys, but we are sceptical. We are not assured that the government will show results that are in the favour of the people. We suspect that the survey results will say whatever is favourable to the state government.”