TN: Govt adopts plan for new green field airport

Chennai, May 22: The Tamil Nadu government today decided to expand the existing airport in an area of more than 1000 acres and simultaneously build a new green field airport in a bid to make Chennai an international hub.

A resolution to this effect was adopted at the Legislature Party meeting chaired by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi.

Briefing newspersons after the meeting, he said the existing airport would be expanded in an area of 1069.99 acres after vacating people living in 947 houses in Manapakkam, Kolapakkam, Kerugambakkam and Tharapakkam villages in Sriperumbudur block.

It was also decided to provide alternative sites for those people to be displaced under the project at places desired by them.

They would be given the genuine compensation and all efforts would be made to rehabilitate them, he added.

The first phase of expansion project would begin with the rehabilitation and the work would start immediately. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has been asked to implement the project.

Mr Karunanidhi said the expansion project would approximately cost Rs 2000 crore, including Rs 1000 crore, for land acquisiton. Initially, the government selected Pozhichallur for expansion, but gave it up. To a question, he said the resolution was not unanimous as the opposition AIADMK expressed reservation over evacuation of people living in these areas.

AIADMK leader D Jayakumar, who participated in the meeting, gave a representation to the Chief Minister on behalf of the people living in those areas. Mr Karunanidhi assured him that he would consider it.

The Chief Minister said the meeting also decided to build a green field airport in a 4820.66 acre area at Sriperumbdur and Tiruvallur blocks.

The building of the new Green field airport would also be carried out by the AAI, he added.

Answering a question, he said the PMK and the Left parties, which were opposed to evacuation of people, also supported the resolution as long as it provided an acceptable alternative to the displaced people.

Among those who attended the meeting included, Prof K Anbazhagan (DMK), CLP Leader D Sudarsanam and D Yasodha (both Congress), G K Mani and A R Malayappasam (PMK), C Govindasamy and D Nandagopal (CPI-M), V Sivapunniyam (CPI), Veera Elavarasan (MDMK), Panruti S Ramachandran and V Parthasarathy (DMDK), M A Khaleelur Rehman (IUML), Selvam and K Balakrishnan (DPI) and Poovai Jegan Moorthy and Sivagnanam (Puratchi Bharatham).

UNI