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

CHENNAI: Residents of Ekanapuram village in Kancheepuram district on Saturday (August 15) passed a unanimous resolution thanking Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay for his opposition to the proposed Parandur greenfield airport and sought the renaming of the village's main road as 'Thalapathy Vijay Road'.

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

The resolutions were passed at the Independence Day gram sabha meeting held at a government school in Ekanapuram.

The proposed greenfield Parandur airport, planned across around 5,000 acres covering 13 villages in and around Parandur, was announced by the Centre and State government in 2022.

Why did Ekanapuram villagers oppose the Parandur airport project?

Residents of Ekanapuram and other affected villages had been opposing the airport project for more than 1,100 days, holding various protests against the proposal. They had also passed resolutions opposing the project at 16 gram sabha meetings and boycotted gram sabha meetings on seven occasions.

Despite the protests, the Centre and State government had continued efforts to establish the greenfield airport, including land acquisition.

Meanwhile, Vijay had visited Parandur on January 20, 2025, and spoken to residents opposing the airport project.

He had also told the villagers that the project would be scrapped if he became Chief Minister.

What is the status of the proposed Parandur airport project?

In the recent development, on July 30 the district revenue officer in charge of land acquisition for the airport has been 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.