Ekanapuram Gram Panchayat adopts resolution to rename road as 'Thalapathy Vijay Road' after rumoured Parandur airport project halt

CHENNAI: Residents of Eganapuram village near Parandur have passed a resolution thanking Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay for stopping the proposed Parandur greenfield airport project.

At the Independence Day gram sabha meeting held at a government school in Eganapuram on Saturday, villagers unanimously passed the resolution expressing their gratitude to the government and the CM for stopping the airport project.

The state government, however, has not made any official announcement on the future of the proposed airport.

They also passed another resolution seeking to rename the main road in Eganapuram as Thalapathy Vijay Road as a mark of appreciation. The resolution has been forwarded to the government through the Kancheepuram district administration.

The proposed airport was announced in 2022 and was planned across nearly 5,000 acres covering 13 villages, including Valathur, Nelvai, Thandal, Melpadavur, Nagapattu, Eganapuram, Edayarpakkam, Akkammapuram, Gunakarambakkam, Singilipadi and Mahadevimangalam. Residents of Eganapuram and other villages had been opposing the project for more than 3 years, citing concerns over loss of homes, agricultural land and livelihoods.

Why did Ekanapuram villagers oppose the Parandur airport project?

They had repeatedly raised their objections at gram sabha meetings. So far, resolutions opposing the project have been passed 16 times, while residents have also boycotted gram sabha meetings on seven occasions.

Meanwhile, before he became CM, party leader Vijay had visited Parandur and met residents protesting the project, and had assured them that the project would be scrapped if he became Chief Minister.

Following the formation of the new government, work related to the proposed airport was stopped. The State government is said to have taken a policy decision to put the project on hold.

Welcoming the development, Eganapuram residents thanked CM Vijay and the government through the gram sabha resolution and also sought the renaming of their village’s main road after him.

What is the status of the proposed Parandur airport project?

In a recent development, on July 30, the district revenue officer in charge of land acquisition for the airport was transferred without making any replacement appointment, leaving the post vacant, which raised the question whether the TVK government is stepping back from further land acquisition for the proposed airport.

In their election manifesto, the TVK had promised to drop the proposed Parandur airport project. However, after assuming the office, the government has not made any official announcement on the future of the project.