The search for Chennai's second airport appears to have gathered pace after the Tamil Nadu government scrapped the controversial Parandur greenfield airport project, with two potential locations now identified and recommended for a feasibility study.

The development comes days after Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced that the Parandur project would not go ahead, citing concerns over its impact on farmers and residential settlements.

According to sources cited by India Today, the Tamil Nadu government has shortlisted two locations as possible alternatives for the proposed airport, which is intended to serve the Chennai Metropolitan Area. The sites have been recommended to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for a feasibility study.

The move comes amid an intensified search for an alternative site following the decision to shelve Parandur. Earlier reports had suggested that the Vijay-led government was exploring Gummidipoondi in Tiruvallur district and Cheyyur in Chengalpattu district as possible locations for Chennai's second airport.

The latest development indicates that the state government has moved quickly to identify alternatives, with sources saying the two locations were zeroed in on within a week.

Why was the Parandur airport project scrapped?

The decision to abandon the proposed greenfield airport near Chennai has triggered a political row in Tamil Nadu, with the Opposition questioning the Vijay government's move.

Addressing the state Assembly, Vijay said a second airport was necessary to meet the growing requirements of Greater Chennai, support industrial development and expand cargo transportation. However, he maintained that the site should be chosen in a way that causes the least disruption to agricultural land and residential settlements.

The Chief Minister accused the previous government of pursuing the Parandur project despite concerns over its potential impact on farmers and several residential areas.

Parandur, located near the Chennai-Bengaluru highway and around 28 km from Sriperumbudur, had been proposed as the site for the greenfield airport.

The Vijay government has defended its decision by raising questions over land acquisition and environmental clearances for the Parandur project.

The government's latest push to identify an alternative now puts the focus on where Chennai's much-needed second airport could eventually come up.