Chennai, Aug 15 (IANS) Residents of Ekanapuram village in Kancheepuram district on Saturday unanimously adopted a resolution thanking Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay for opposing the proposed Parandur greenfield airport and urged the government to name the village’s main road “Thalapathy Vijay Road”.
The resolutions were passed during the Independence Day gram sabha meeting held at a government school in Ekanapuram, one of the villages expected to be affected by the airport project.
However, the TVK government has not yet made an official announcement on the future of the project, despite promising in its election manifesto to abandon the proposal.
The second airport for Chennai was proposed in 2022 and is planned across nearly 5,000 acres covering 13 villages in and around Parandur. The project has faced sustained opposition from residents, particularly those in Ekanapuram, over the proposed acquisition of agricultural land, residential areas and water bodies.
Villagers have been protesting against the project for more than 1,100 days through demonstrations and other forms of agitation. They have adopted resolutions opposing the airport at 16 gram sabha meetings and boycotted seven such meetings to register their protest.
Despite the prolonged agitation, the Union and then State governments continued to pursue the project, including initiating proceedings for acquiring the required land.
Vijay visited Parandur on January 20, 2025, and interacted with residents leading the campaign against the airport. During the visit, he assured them that the project would be scrapped if he became Chief Minister. The TVK subsequently included the cancellation of the Parandur airport project among its election promises.
Vijay’s party came to power in the recent Assembly election, raising expectations among the protesting villagers that the proposal would be formally withdrawn.
Speculation over the government’s position intensified after the district revenue officer responsible for land acquisition for the airport was transferred on July 30. No replacement has been appointed so far, leaving the post vacant.
The development has prompted questions over whether the government is quietly stepping back from further land acquisition. Villagers view the transfer and the absence of a replacement as an encouraging signal. Nevertheless, they are awaiting a formal policy decision.
Saturday’s gram sabha resolutions reflected both their appreciation for Vijay’s earlier support and their expectation that his government would fulfil its electoral commitment by officially abandoning the airport project.
–IANS
aal/dan
