Technoeconomic Study To Decide Path Ahead For Parandur Airport

Express service

CHENNAI: A detailed feasibility study to reassess the land requirements for the airport and development aspects of the city will contribute to the fate of Eganapuram and the surrounding villages and water bodies that will be affected by the airport.

A delegation of eight villagers, who met Minister EV Velu, Thangam Thennarasu and TM Anbarasan, are confident that the feasibility study was done keeping in mind the grievances raised during their October 15 meeting.

This is the second meeting of the ministers with the villagers after Monday's protests, during which large contingents of police were deployed in Eganapuram and Nelvo. Speaking to TNIE after a meeting at the Secretariat, Ekanapuram Residents and Village Farmers Welfare Board secretary G. Subramanian said the ministers said the study would decide the viability of the location because a new site had been chosen.

"The ministers informed the delegation that they had just chosen a place. Feasibility studies determine the area needed for the project. After the technical and economic studies are completed, the villagers will be informed and a joint decision will be made," he said.

However, the villagers were not slow to protest. "Night protests continue," Subramanian added. He said the government was not stubborn in its approach to the construction of the airport because it listened patiently. The rally gained momentum following heavy police presence on Monday morning after residents of Nelvoy and Eganapuram villages took part in a protest at the Greenfield airport.

When asked whether the villagers had mentioned the presence of the police, Subramanian said the police were there to prevent outside elements from taking part in the protests. "The police are monitoring the whereabouts of foreigners," he added.

Officials said they looked into local residents' concerns about the watershed and preserving natural waterways to ensure rivers upstream and downstream were not affected. A government statement said an expert committee would be set up to study farmland, geographical changes in the area and waterways.

It is known that the state needs 4563.56 hectares of land divided into 13 villages. Of these, 3,246.38 hectares are Patta lands. The remaining 1,317.18 hectares belong to the state in Porambok. A total of 1,005 households will be affected by the project, while the government has proposed a land acquisition cost of 3.5 times the existing market value.

Consultants for the study, to be selected after Jan. 6, will also seek regulatory approval and help guide the bidding process for the proposed Greenfield airport development model.