Common Man

Parandur can come back, on the CM's own principles. The CM's test for growth is clear: development, but not at the cost of farmers, homes or water. Here is how Parandur can pass every one of those tests. THE PROBLEM • Chennai still has no second-airport site. TIDCO's own RTI reply: the final site is "not yet selected." • About 1,500–1,700 acres at Parandur are already bought and paid for, waiting for a use. • Chennai handled 23 million passengers last year. Bengaluru: 44.5 million. Hyderabad: 30.5 million. • A new airport takes 8–10 years. Starting from zero costs time Chennai doesn't have. WHY THE CM WAS RIGHT TO STOP THE OLD DESIGN • The site's tanks hold about 9.3 million m³ of water (independent estimate). The 2024 plan's Nelvoy reservoir: 5.69 million m³. About 60%. • The site was to be raised 1.5 m above flood level. Navi Mumbai used 2.5 m. • Farmers were offered cash only. The plan literally said "land for land: not applicable." THE FIX: PARANDUR, DONE RIGHT 1. Water first – At least 9.3 million m³ of new storage. Not a drop of storage lost. – Drainage built for a 1-in-100-year storm, the national standard for big-city airports. – At least 2.5 m above flood level. – New reservoirs built and tested through a full monsoon before any tank is touched. – Flood studies for the Kosasthalaiyar, Cooum and Adyar published first. – Zero water drawn from farmers' lakes. 2. Farmers paid better, and protected – Phase 1 needs one runway. The second isn't needed until 2043. – Buy that land now. Farmers keep farming it until a fixed date written into the deed. – A yearly payment from a locked fund (at least ₹30,000–50,000 per acre, rising 10% a year), so a change of government can't stop it. – At handover: a top-up, plus at least 22.5% of the land back as developed plots, or shares in a farmer-owned company. 3. New homes before old ones are touched – A ready township handed over before any eviction. Villages move together. – One guaranteed job or apprenticeship per family, at the aviation academy, MRO hangars and cargo hub already in the master plan. 4. The people decide – Put the full package to the gram sabhas. 70% yes: Parandur proceeds on the CM's terms. No: the alternative site gets the same standards. THE IMPACT • An airport that keeps every litre of water storage the land holds today. • Farmers who earn while they wait, and own a share of the airport economy. • Bengaluru–Chennai Expressway at the gate (92 of 106 km done in TN), a metro extension plan the state approved in 2025, and MRO and cargo planned from day one. • Studies done and nearly half the land in hand: years ahead of starting over. The CM didn't reject an airport. He rejected a design. Parandur, done right, is the design he asked for. Full 5-minute explainer, maps and sources in the reply 👇 @CMOTamilnadu @TNIndMinOffice @Guidance_TN @SIPCOTTN @SingaiGR @aaichnairport @AAI_Official @MoCA_GoI #Parandur #Chennai #InvestInTN #AAI