Centre must go for greenfield airport not expansion: PMK

Chennai, Apr 19 (UNI) Opposing the expansion of the Chennai Airport, Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) Founder-Leader S Ramadoss today suggested the Centre set up a world-class greenfield airport in the city suburbs.

Talking to newspersons here, Dr Ramadoss urged Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to hold an all-party meeting to discuss the expansion of the Chennai Airport and take a decision at the earliest.

The expansion project costing 1,150 crore would be useful only for seven to eight years. Therefore, the Centre should think of spending an additional Rs 500 crore and set up a world-class greenfield airport near the city which could be useful for another four to five decades.

Dr Ramadoss, who had launched an agitation against the move to expand the airport displacing several hundred people living around it, said the expansion would only provide only temporary solution to the crisis.

The greenfield airport, on the other hand, could have mini-airports, commercial complexes, fulfilling long-time needs, he said.

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