CHENNAI: A team of officials from the state government and the
Airports Authority of India (
AAI) has scouted a site at
Uthiramerur in the southern suburbs to evaluate whether the city's second
airport could come up there after the state government dropped the plan to build the facility at Sriperumbudur.
Kancheepuram district collector P Ponniah said, "Officials inspected land at Uthiramerur but nothing has been finalised yet. The AAI may have to take a decision on which location is suitable."
Sites at Madurantakam and Gummidipoondi are also being considered for the project. Officials said that large tracts of land are available in those areas which are also close to a highway. The AAI will require 1,000-2,000 acres to build a second airport which the ministry of civil aviation is planning to develop as an Aero City. The airport will have a capacity of 40 million passengers per year.
Govt has not finalised location of 2 nd airport’
The ministry of civil aviation has been putting pressure on the state government to identify the land so that a feasibility study and other formalities could begin. “The state government is looking at some options but has not finalised where it should be built,” said a senior AAI official.
The state government had committed to identifying the landfor the projectby theendof 2017. Subsequently,in February this year,deputy chief minister O Paneerselvam said, “The government will establish an international airportwith a capacity to handle four crore passengers per year in thesuburbs of Chennai.” But a monthlater, secretary of civil aviation R N Choubey saidthatthestate government had not come up with alocation for thefacility..
