The proposed Parandur Airport near Chennai has recently made headlines again as soon as the new Chief Minister took office in May 2026. Perhaps he is compelled to honour his election promise. In our editorial in South Express on October 15, 2022, we discussed the environmental impact and negative effects on farmers due to the proposed airport in the agricultural land. Now, three years later, the situation is even more concerning. Recent reports indicate that the current Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has ordered a review of the project. Residents of nearby villages, particularly Ekanapuram and its surroundings, continue to oppose the project, citing concerns about displacement, loss of agricultural land, water bodies, and livelihoods. Protests against the project have been ongoing for several years. The previous government justified its actions by stating that the proposed Parandur Airport would reduce the air traffic congestion at Chennai International Airport.

However, environmental experts, hydrologists, and conservation groups have raised serious concerns regarding the project’s impact on water resources, flooding, agriculture, and biodiversity. Supporters of the new airport argue that Chennai urgently requires a second airport to meet future passenger demand. They propose engineering solutions, such as drainage redesign, the creation of compensatory water bodies, and flood-management infrastructure, to mitigate the environmental impacts. The key environmental question is whether the economic benefits outweigh the environmental costs, namely flood control, groundwater recharge, agriculture, and biodiversity. Currently, flooding is the most pressing concern among independent researchers and environmental groups. In January 2025, while supporting the villagers of Ekanapuram and Parandur, then TVK leader C. Joseph Vijay strongly opposed the Parandur airport project, labeling it “anti-people.” Now, as Chief Minister, he faces pressure to take decisive action. Since assuming office in May 2026, Vijay has not announced a cancellation of the airport project, but he has ordered its review. His indecision on whether the airport will be cancelled, relocated, or allowed to proceed has left many in suspense. Meanwhile, it is important to note that about 3,000 acres of fertile agricultural land have already been acquired or brought under government control out of the approximately 5,746 acres required for the airport. With compensation already provided to landowners, a reversal of the project seems unlikely. If the airport project is scrapped, the acquired land can only be repurposed for industrial use, which may further threaten the already fragile ecological balance. And the authorities will proudly say, ‘It is sustainable development!’.