Chennai, Sep 7 (IANS): After the Tamil Nadu government issued notices to acquire land for the proposed Chennai Greenfield Airport at Parandur, the state Industrial Development Corporation is in the process of relocating around 1,000 families from the site locations in Kancheepuram and Sriperumbudur districts.

Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) sources said that four land sites have been identified for the relocation of families affected by the proposed project.

Earlier, two notices were issued to residents to vacate their lane under the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposed Act,1997. The first notice was issued on August 27 while the second notice was issued on September 3.

Sources added that TIDCO will soon appoint a consultant to provide design cum project management consultancy services for the project-affected families (PAF).

Parandur was chosen for the proposed Chennai Greenfield Airport as the most feasible site among four sites identified Padalam, Pannur, Thiruporur and Parandur.

The Union government approved the project in August 2024 and gave site clearance to TIDCO, which is the developing authority for the project.

The state government has allocated 2172.3 hectares of land for the airport but 173 hectares is government land, 1386 hectares is agricultural land and 576 hectares of land is covered by water bodies.

The new Greenfield Airport was proposed as the present international airport at Meenambakkam was insufficient for handling traffic. The estimated traffic at Chennai by 2047 will be around 100 million a year while Meenambakkam will be able to handle a maximum of 40 million passengers a year.

Sources told IANS that the consultant who will be appointed will integrate the land allocation and identification of housing layouts and community amenities that address socio-economic, economic and environmental as well as cultural concerns that are required as per the resettlement action plan (RAP) for those evacuated.

It is learnt that TIDCO will commence work by the end of next year after acquiring the land for the project.

The first phase will cost the exchequer Rs 13,854 crore while the entire project, which will be implemented over four phases, will cost Rs 29,143 crore.

Meanwhile, there is stiff opposition to the proposed airport with farmers of the area coming out in the street against the project.

S.D. Kathiresan of the ‘Villagers Against Parandur Airport’ movement while speaking to IANS said, “These are agricultural lands and we want to continue in our village. We want to keep the farmland which is our livelihood.”

After the first land acquisition notice was published in the government gazette issued on August 27, agitated farmers and villagers organised a demonstration at the highway and police registered FIRs against 125 protestors.