Tamil Nadu Government Scraps Parandur Airport Project, Announces New Welfare Schemes
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister S. Joseph Vijay announced on Monday, 24 August 2026, that the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government will abandon the proposed greenfield airport project at Parandur. Under Assembly Rule 110, the Chief Minister stated that the government would instead identify an alternative site for Chennai's second airport based on technical studies that minimize the impact on agricultural lands, waterbodies, and residential areas.
The decision to scrap the Parandur project comes after years of land identification, technical assessments, and preparatory work. Chief Chief Minister Vijay justified the move by highlighting his previous opposition to the project and his solidarity with farmers protesting in Parandur and 12 surrounding villages. He emphasized that farmers are the nation's backbone and were protesting to protect their livelihoods and agricultural lands. The government has already selected a few alternative sites and plans to conduct detailed studies before finalizing a new location.
As an interim measure to address Chennai's aviation needs, the Chief Minister announced the expansion of the existing Meenambakkam airport. In coordination with the Airports Authority of India (AAI), a new Terminal-5 will be constructed to handle an additional 20 million passengers annually. Combined with the ongoing works at Terminal-3, which will bring its capacity to 35 million passengers, the airport's total annual handling capacity is projected to reach 55 million passengers.
Opposition and Criticism Over Airport Cancellation
The decision to drop the Parandur airport project drew immediate criticism from opposition parties. Members of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) staged a walkout from the Assembly in protest. Former DMK minister Thangam Thennarasu argued that the airport is essential for the state's economic growth, noting that Chennai airport has slipped from third to fifth place in passenger traffic. He questioned the fate of approximately 1,700 acres of private land already acquired from 12 villages in Sriperumbudur and Kancheepuram taluks during the previous DMK administration.
Narayanan Thirupapthi, the chief spokesperson for the Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), termed the decision "reckless and short-sighted." He warned that finding an alternative site of 5,000 to 5,700 acres that meets technical, environmental, and connectivity standards could take several years, wasting prior public expenditure and institutional effort. BJP youth wing functionary Surya questioned if land accumulation had occurred around Parandur prior to the cancellation, while BJP functionary Vinoj P Selvam criticized the government's approach to infrastructure. Social media activist Sumanth Raman also warned that the decision could delay Chennai's second airport by a decade.
Expansion of Free Bus Travel Scheme
Alongside the airport announcement, Chief Minister Vijay introduced a significant expansion of the state's free bus travel scheme for women under the new "Vettri Payanam" initiative. Starting October 2, the scheme will allow women to travel free of charge in Express, LSS, and Deluxe government buses operating within corporations and urban areas, in addition to ordinary buses. For inter-district travel, free transit will be extended to ordinary-fare Mofussil and hilly-area buses.
The "Vettri Payanam" scheme will have no income ceiling or restrictions on the number of journeys. Transgender persons will also be eligible for free travel under the program. The state government expects the implementation of this expanded scheme to incur an annual expenditure of approximately Rs 6,000 crore.
Three Free LPG Cylinders Under Annapoorani Super Six
The Chief Minister also announced the launch of the first phase of the "Annapoorani Super Six" scheme, which will provide three free LPG cylinders annually to eligible households. The initiative is designed to cover around 1.34 crore families, targeting households with annual incomes of up to Rs 2.5 lakh, small and marginal farmers, and families living below the poverty line.
The annual expenditure for the LPG scheme is projected to exceed Rs 4,000 crore. Under the program, the cost of the three cylinders will be credited directly to the bank accounts of the eligible beneficiaries. The dual announcements of welfare expansions and the cancellation of the Parandur project have sparked debate regarding the prioritization of welfare schemes over major infrastructure developments in the state.
