'Devastating blow': Stalin attacks Vijay over decision to drop Parandur airport

Chennai: DMK president MK Stalin on Monday criticised Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay for dropping the proposed Parandur greenfield airport project, accusing the state government of putting Tamil Nadu's interests at risk for "petty political considerations".

Vijay announced in the Assembly that the Parandur project would be abandoned and that an alternative site would be identified for Chennai's second airport. The decision marks a major policy shift after the previous DMK government had initiated the project and completed much of the land acquisition process.

Calling the move a "massive disappointment", Stalin said abandoning the project would set Tamil Nadu's development back by several years.

"Tamil Nadu's interests cannot be mortgaged for petty political considerations," Stalin said in a statement.

He said the proposed site had been selected after evaluating several alternatives and that the land acquisition process was almost complete. Several stages of preparatory work and approvals had also been completed, he added.

"If the new government now starts all over again, identifies another location and goes through the entire process before work can even begin, Tamil Nadu's growth trajectory itself will drop," Stalin said.

The DMK chief also criticised Vijay for announcing the decision under Rule 110 of the Assembly, which does not allow discussion on the statement. He said "shutting out" the opportunity for debate was deeply troubling.

Stalin argued that Tamil Nadu, which leads the country in sectors including electronics and automobile manufacturing, needs a world-class airport in Chennai to support future growth.

He also claimed that the decision could hurt employment opportunities for the state's youth and undermine Tamil Nadu's economic ambitions.

"Without industrial growth, economic targets of one trillion USD or 1.5 trillion USD are simply impossible to achieve," he said, describing the decision as a "devastating blow" to employment prospects.

Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin also criticised the move, saying the DMK government had initiated the project after considering the rise in air passenger traffic and Chennai's future requirements.

He said the project had received approval from the Airports Authority of India and the Union Civil Aviation Ministry. The previous government had also spent substantial amounts on land acquisition, including compensation and resettlement packages for affected landowners.

"If the project is being dropped for petty political reasons, it will lead to a big financial loss to the government," Udhayanidhi said in a post on X.

However, the decision was welcomed by residents of Ekanapuram, one of the villages that would have been affected by the proposed airport. Locals thanked Vijay for abandoning the project.

Parandur is located near the Chennai-Bengaluru highway, around 28 km from Sriperumbudur.

Announcing the decision, Vijay said his government stood firmly with local residents and would not allow an airport project to disrupt communities.

He said nearly 55 per cent of the land identified for the Parandur airport comprised waterbodies and wetlands, raising concerns over runway safety and the risk of flooding.

The Chief Minister said the government was not opposed to development but would instead pursue an alternative site for Chennai's second airport. The new location, he said, would be finalised after detailed technical feasibility studies and would be selected in a manner that avoids public opposition.