Parandur airport: Plots 'change hands' amid protests

CHENNAI: Amid continuing protests by affected villagers and the trading of barbs by rival political parties, the revenue and district authorities, on Wednesday, commenced the registration of the acquired plots. According to official sources, on day one, 17.52 acres of land, owned by 19 villagers, changed hands with the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) paying Rs 9.22 crore in compensation.

The registrations of the lands earmarked for the Parandur airport were earlier temporarily stalled. Now the option of selling it to the government has reopened, sources said. With the Centre too keen on completing the Parandur project by 2028, the State government, through TIDCO, has started land acquisition, with enquiries coming in from villagers regarding land sale, sources said. Officials said these landowners will get their payment soon, and more registrations are on the cards.

However, the villagers accused the DMK government of creating a false impression that the villagers are volunteering to give land to TIDCO. They said most of the landowners who are ready to part with their land are outsiders and not residents of Parandur. They alleged that no proper study or consultation with the local farming community has happened till now.

The Parandur villagers, in a statement, said the DMK government is making a serious mistake by ignoring the protests, and claimed that the government is releasing orders to take over farmland and fix compensation without consultation.

They also accused the district officials of bringing in outside landowners with food and transport to make it look like those supporting the project, thereby fooling the outside public and the media.

"We will never give farm land for the airport at any cost," read a statement stating that the villagers will continue their night protest, which had crossed over 1,100 days. "A larger protest will be announced involving all political parties, and legal steps will be taken to fight against the government to stop the project," the statement said.

It was in August 2022 that the Centre announced Parandur as the location for Chennai's new airport. Initially, the project envisaged acquiring 4,870 acres of land in 13 villages, including Parandur, Eganapuram, Valathur, Nelvoy, Thandalam, Melpadavur, Nagapattu, Edayarpakkam, Akampuram, Kunakarampakkam, Sangilipadi, and Mahadevi. However, in 2023, the project was expanded to include 20 villages, enhancing the total land requirement to 5,746 acres.