Chennai, Nov 2 (PTI) The proposed greenfield airport which would come up in Parandur would be able to provide inclusive growth to the state once it becomes operational, Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu said here on Wednesday.

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Besides passenger traffic, the new airport would also be able to provide cargo handling, take up maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) work and can also accommodate wide-bodied aircraft, Thennarasu said at an event here.

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The minister made the comments at a conference 'Greenfield Airport: Timely Initiative to Fast Track TN's Growth' organised by Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (TIDCO) and the Madras Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI).

The new airport would be a 'milestone' in the government's vision of reaching USD 1 trillion economy, he said.

The minister said, "A new airport at Parandur is the need of the hour and only with such an airport, we can take Tamil Nadu to the next level of growth. It may be on passenger traffic or cargo handling. We do not have a MRO facility (in Chennai) now. This can be done at the new airport and it can also handle wide-bodied aircraft. With all these facilities, the new airport provides an opportunity for inclusive growth."

Giving some insights before the land was identified at Parandur in Kancheepuram district, about 70 kms from here, he said the government was looking for a suitable land in Kalpakkam, Vedanthangal and also in northern parts of Chennai.

"In Kalpakkam, we have the atomic energy power station and then in Vedanthangal we have the bird sanctuary. In the north of Chennai, we have the Pulicat lake. At Tambaram, again south of Chennai, we have the Air Force station. If you see, these are all ecologically sensitive areas," he said.

After considering all these points that emerged during a discussion, two or three places on the western side of the city came up before finalising Parandur, he said.

"If you ask me, don't you have any challenges at Parandur? Of course, we have challenges. It has a lot of waterbodies and there are lot of families dependent on their agricultural lands for several years. It is their livelihood," he said.

Chief Minister M K Stalin issued orders that with the setting up of the new greenfield airport, Tamil Nadu's economy should not only grow but also ensure that there is an 'upliftment' of the people who have been living there in Parandur and nearby areas for several years, the minister said.

The DMK government has clarified that the villagers living in and around Parandur would be offered over and above the market value for the land that would be acquired for the project.

In order to provide all-round development, Thennarasu said nearly 80-85 per cent of land acquisition process for other airports in Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli has been completed as once the new airport in Parandur comes into operation, the other airports would be able to augment the passenger demand.

Referring to his recent visit to Japan were the Tokyo airport is located far away from the city, the minister said there was a "dedicated path" and "an easy route" from the airport to reach Tokyo city. On similar lines, the metro services in Chennai which run up to Poonamallee can be extended to Parandur to provide connectivity to the new airport, he pointed out.

Thennarasu said he commonly faced queries whether the existing airport at Meenambakkam can be ramped up instead of going for a new greenfield airport.

"We have decided to go ahead with a new airport as there are constraints at the existing airport. For example, if you want to take up some more land to expand the Meenambakkam airport, on one side we have the Adyar river and on the other side, the land is used for defence purposes. We have a hillock on another side of the airport and the airport itself is surrounded by (human) habitations," he said.

Because of these constraints at the existing airport, the government decided to look for land outside Chennai and zeroed in on Parandur as it would give opportunity to develop Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts also.

"We saw as many as 11 places which had enough potential to set up a new airport and finally selected Parandur," he said.

In August, Chief Minister Stalin said the construction of the new airport would take place at Parandur at an estimated outlay of Rs 20,000 crore. The new airport would have two runways, terminal buildings, taxiways, apron, cargo terminal and other necessary infrastructure.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)