Chennai’s second airport inches closer to reality

CHENNAI: Chennai’s second airport, a project that has been elusive for a long time, has finally found a mention in the new industrial policy released by Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami on Tuesday. The policy states that a new greenfield airport has been proposed, which would handle 40 million passengers annually.

This comes as the State is still awaiting a nod from the Civil Aviation Ministry that wanted a technical study to be done to finalise the location of the second airport, said official sources. It is learnt that the officials are likely to finalise 4,500 acres in Parandur for the city’s second airport after conducting a technical study.

According to sources, the TN Industrial Development Corporation, the nodal agency for developing the airport, was to decide on the consultant for preparing a techno-economic feasibility report, for assisting in obtaining statutory clearances and conducting bid process management.

Meanwhile, the State will be implementing a walk-to-work concept to decongest the cities and improve work-life balance by encouraging industrial projects to develop accommodation and hostel facilities for employees within a 5-km radius of the work area.

It is learnt that the State is also developing two industrial housing facilities to accommodate 20,000 workers to cater to the housing needs of five industrial parks in the Sriperumbudur belt. This shall be provided on a rental basis to the industry and its workers. The report submitted by the high-level committee on the impact of Covid on TN’s economy, had recommended that the State may support housing projects through PPP models.