CHENNAI: Adding a new justification for the TVK-led State government’s decision to scrap the greenfield airport in Parandur, a marquee project over which the previous DMK regime had invested its political capital and actual capital to acquire large tracts of land, Energy Resources and Law Minister R Nirmalkumar said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation found the location unsuitable for runway construction because it contains nearly "800-900 acres of water bodies."
However, official records on the selection of Parandur as the site for the airport do not support the assertion. Instead, they show that AAI's technical evaluation shortlisted Parandur as one of the two feasible locations before recommending it as the preferred site after a detailed comparative assessment.
Official records available in the public domain, which dates back to October 29, 2021, show that the Tamil Nadu government asked AAI to undertake a technical pre-feasibility study of four potential locations for Chennai's second airport — Parandur, Pannur, Tiruporur and Padalam. AAI inspected the sites in February 2022 and submitted its report in March, evaluating each location on parameters, including airspace availability, runway orientation, operational safety, land availability, connectivity and future expansion.
The inspection ruled out Padalam, which falls within the restricted flying area controlled by the Indian Air Force, while Tiruporur was rejected because it is located adjacent to the Tambaram flying area and close to the prohibited airspace around the nuclear plant in Kalpakkam.
AAI also found that the preferred runway orientation at both locations would potentially conflict with the flight operations at the existing airport.
Having eliminated those two sites, AAI concluded that Parandur and Pannur were comparatively more feasible for the proposed airport. The report records that both locations had adequate airspace, were relatively free from natural obstructions, did not face operational restrictions and were unaffected by limiting factors such as wildlife sanctuaries, refuse dumps, or sewage outfalls. Both sites were also found suitable for the desired 07/25 runway orientation, considered ideal for integration with Chennai airport's operational pattern.
The comparative assessment subsequently tilted in favour of Parandur over Pannur. According to the Tamil Nadu government's official justification note, the site offered better connectivity to the proposed Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway, involved displacement of fewer families than Pannur, had fewer man-made obstacles affecting aircraft operations, provided sufficient contiguous land for airport infrastructure and future expansion, and did not require additional land for navigational aids.
The justification note states that Parandur emerged as the most suitable site after AAI's feasibility study and further technical evaluation undertaken by the State government.
The same position is reiterated in the 2024 Pre-Feasibility Report prepared for securing environmental clearance. The report records that AAI had identified Parandur and Pannur as the most suitable locations for airport development and that the State government finalised Parandur after considering land availability, travel distance, infrastructure costs, airspace, connectivity, and existing obstacles.
The environmental assessment, however, also documents the site's ecological characteristics. It records that around 1,425 acres, or 26.54 per cent of the proposed 5,369-acre airport area, comprise water bodies that would be affected by the project. It further notes the presence of two natural water channels traversing the project site: Nelvoy Eri within the project boundary and Parandur lake located about 1.4 km from the airport boundary.
Those findings, however, are presented as part of the environmental baseline assessment prepared for statutory appraisal. The report does not conclude that the presence of water bodies renders runway construction technically infeasible. Instead, it identifies the environmental features that require evaluation, mitigation, and regulatory clearance before project execution.
The DGCA's role in the project has been regulatory rather than site-selective. The aviation regulator prescribes standards relating to aerodrome design, runway specifications, flight safety, obstacle limitation surfaces, and compliance with Civil Aviation Requirements. The project documents recognise DGCA's regulatory oversight but contain no publicly available finding that Parandur is unsuitable for runway construction because of wetlands or water bodies.
Similarly, the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation's in-principle site clearance permits the project to proceed subject to compliance with DGCA's observations and other statutory approvals. The approval does not record any technical objection from DGCA regarding the suitability of the site.
The documentary trail that underpinned the State government's decision, thus, presents a position distinct from the Minister Nirmalkumar’s claim. While the official studies acknowledge that the proposed airport site contains substantial water bodies and wetlands with significant environmental implications, they consistently identify Parandur as the preferred location after successive technical evaluations. None of the publicly available documents are found to contain either the AAI or DGCA concluding that the site was technically unsuitable for runway construction because of the presence of water bodies.
Timeline
* October 29, 2021: Tamil Nadu government asks AAI to conduct a technical pre-feasibility study
* February 2022: AAI inspects four proposed sites
* March 2022: AAI submits its technical pre-feasibility report
* 2024: Pre-Feasibility Report prepared for environmental clearance reaffirms Parandur as the selected site
What AAI concluded
* Evaluated Parandur, Pannur, Tiruporur, and Padalam
* Rejected Padalam and Tiruporur on operational and airspace constraints
* Shortlisted Parandur and Pannur as technically feasible
* Recommended Parandur after comparative evaluation
Why Parandur was preferred
* Better connectivity
* Fewer displaced families
* Fewer operational obstacles
* Adequate contiguous land
* Scope for future expansion
* No additional land required for navigational aids
Environmental facts
* Total project area: 5,369 acres
* Water bodies within project area: 1,425 acres (26.54%)
* Two natural water channels traverse the site
* Nelvoy eri lies within the project area.
* Parandur lake is about 1.4 km from the project boundary