“Mahatma Gandhi, whom the nation calls its father, once said that villages are the backbone of our country. But now, they are crushing our village in the name of the country’s development,” says Kumar, tearing up.
Villagers of Parandur and Ekanapuram in Tamil Nadu have crossed 922 days of their protest and are heading towards the 1000th day. The natives and farmers have been protesting to show their disapproval of the Tamil Nadu government’s proposal to build a new greenfield airport for Chennai in Parandur by acquiring their land.
The displacement of indigenous people from their lands is an age-old story for the nation and its government. Independent India has so far displaced over 60–65 million people from their lands for urbanization. Millions have lost their homes and way of life, and the compensation and rehabilitation promises made to them have simply been shrugged off by the government. The Parandur protest in Tamil Nadu is a struggle to stop another such land acquisition catastrophe.
M.K. Stalin, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, on August 2, 2022, issued an official announcement regarding Chennai’s second airport at Parandur. He tweeted, “It’s imperative for Chennai to have a new airport to meet its demands, attain our goal of a One Trillion USD Economy & make Chennai the best destination for investments in Asia. In this regard, I’m glad to announce that Chennai will have its new greenfield airport at Parandur.” He mentioned that the state’s future development would be measured on a global scale, transcending comparisons limited to other states within the country.
Following this, Tamil Nadu Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu issued a notice stating that the existing Meenambakkam airport witnessed a 9% annual growth in passenger numbers between 2009 and 2019. By 2028, the current airport will reach its maximum capacity of 3.5 crore passengers. If a new airport is not set up by 2028, the development of Chennai and the surrounding districts could stagnate. He also mentioned that in the next 30 years, the proposed Parandur airport would handle 10 crore passengers annually, while the existing airport would continue to operate.
However, no study has confirmed that the existing Meenambakkam airport is operating at its full annual capacity of 2.2 crore passengers, and the government has yet to present any conducted surveys or concrete data to support its statements. Speaking to Maktoob, Vettri Selvan Muthuraj from Poovulagin Nanbargal, an environmental organization in Chennai, explained, “As per the claims of the government, by 2050-60, Chennai’s proposed Parandur airport and Meenambakkam airport will together accommodate 13.5 crore passengers. At present, Tamil Nadu’s population stands at 8 crores, with Chennai at 2 crores. For the government’s projections to align, Chennai’s population would need to triple. Even then, does the state have as many air transport users to justify such big figures?”
Furthermore, the government continues to argue that expanding the existing Chennai International Airport is difficult due to the dense urbanization and the Army Training Academy located there. The high land value in this area demands higher compensation, which the government is not ready to meet. Meanwhile, the 5,740 acres across Parandur, Ekanapuram, and 18 other villages, as outlined in the government’s recent airport boundary sketch, are primarily occupied by farmers owning 50 cents to 1 acre of land. Janabhai, a villager from Ekanapuram, says, “We are simple farmers working hard to make ends meet. The government is taking our lack of power for granted.”
The government’s second airport plan covers 20 villages in the Kanchipuram district. Edayarpakkam, Gunakarambakkam, Mahadevi Mangalam, Akkamapuram, and Singilipadi villages in the Sriperumbudur taluk, along with Valathur, Nelvai, Thandalam, Podavoor, and Madapuram in the Kanchipuram taluk, will lose significant land. Of this, only 427.49 acres are government land or poromboke, while 3,424.8 acres are agricultural land, and 1,423.3 acres are water bodies. However, Parandur and Ekanapuram villages will be entirely displaced under the plan.
Parandur and Ekanapuram, located 18 km north of Sriperumbudur and 61 km from Chennai, are villages with 908 acres and 2,400 residents, of whom 1,700 are eligible to vote and 550 are ration card holders. The villagers are predominantly farmers and 100-day employment workers who earn a daily wage of ₹200. Farming here depends largely on rainwater collected in the lakes within these villages.
The historical Kamban Kalvai that runs through these villages connects 85 water bodies, directing runoff to Sriperumbudur Lake, Chembarambakkam Reservoir, and Coovam Lake. Vettri Selvan from Poovulagin Nanbargal explains, “Disrupting the water bodies and watershed areas in Parandur will disturb the natural water flow, not just in this region but beyond. Converting the flood plains into concrete structures will increase runoff into the city’s lakes, which cannot handle the additional inflows. This will lead to severe flooding during the rains, a crisis Chennai cannot afford.” Geo-analysts emphasize that any development plan for the city should proceed while preserving its water bodies.
On December 20, 2022, the Ekanapuram People and Farmers Welfare Federation voiced the same concerns at the Chief Secretariat. Responding to this, in February 2023, the state set up a panel headed by retired IAS officer Machendranathan to conduct a feasibility check on the proposed airport site. It was assured that the proposal would be withdrawn or moved forward based on the panel’s findings. However, the government has remained silent on the panel’s reports to this day.
Speaking to Maktoob, Subramanian, the head of the village protest union, says, “We requested the RTI department for the panel’s feasibility test results. Initially, they told us the panel had not yet submitted the report. The second time, they refused to share it, claiming it would affect the state’s economic development.” He further questions, “We are not asking them to disclose any confidential information. Why so much secrecy in this matter?”
While the project is still in the initial stage of area identification and has not received clearance from the AAI, the government has already issued land acquisition notices under the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act, 1997. The Ekanapuram natives say they have been sent more than six notices separately for their houses and land, which they have returned in protest, expressing their disapproval.
As per the act, the government can acquire any land for the state’s industrial development before publishing a notice mentioning the purpose of the acquisition in the Tamil Nadu Government Gazette. The act requires the government to address the grievances of the affected parties within 30 days of issuing the notice. However, the villagers of Ekanapuram and Parandur say that no government representative has met them directly to discuss their concerns.
Subramanian says, “The DMK IT wing has been spreading false claims that we have agreed to hand over our land and that the protest is being instigated by opposition parties. In reality, no one in our village is willing to give up their land, nor are we being influenced by anyone. This is our village’s protest for our identity.”
What does the government say about the second airport plan?
The government argues that the proposed Parandur airport, with a capacity to accommodate up to 10 crore passengers annually, will drive the state towards its $1 trillion economy goal.
According to the government, the Meenambakkam airport witnessed a 9% annual growth in passenger numbers between 2009 and 2019. In comparison, bigger airports like Bengaluru and Hyderabad recorded an annual growth rate of 14% and 12%, respectively.
The government claims that after extensive research on several locations, considering their nature and socio-economic factors over time, Parandur has been identified as the most suitable site for the project. It is closer to the upcoming Chennai-Bangalore Expressway, ensuring cost-effective connectivity.
Officials state that Parandur has fewer obstacles compared to Pannur, where several EHT lines and operating industries exist. They also highlight its proximity to the Sriperumbudur Industrial Area. Additionally, the cost of land acquisition in Pannur is reportedly three times higher than in Parandur.
The government order states that the displacement figures at Parandur stand at 1,005 families, which is relatively lower than Pannur, where 1,546 families would be affected.
Authorities claim that water bodies in these areas will be preserved, and the groundwater level will be deepened with new technology and schemes. The Periya Nelvoy lake, spread across 360 acres and located within the project area, will be conserved. Officials assure that all necessary steps will be taken to prevent water shortages and flooding during rains in Parandur and surrounding villages.
Citing research from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the government asserts that for every ₹100 spent on the project, the returns will be ₹325. Additionally, the project is expected to create 100 direct and 610 indirect jobs. Officials say the upcoming airport will improve the livelihood of locals in the area, ensuring they fully benefit from the project’s economic opportunities.
Chennai is the most populated city in Tamil Nadu, with 6.44% of the state’s total population. It is also the city with the least green cover in India, with only 3%. Climate studies by Anna University highlight rising temperatures as a major concern, predicting severe thermal discomfort in Chennai by 2030. While the Tamil Nadu government is actively developing heat mitigation strategies, the proposed Parandur airport project could replace 60–70% of the city’s remaining green cover with concrete. This ecological destruction could make Chennai unfit to live in, in the near future.
Unlike Bengaluru or Hyderabad, Chennai is not Tamil Nadu’s sole functional airport. The state has three international airports—in Trichy, Coimbatore, and Chennai—along with fully operational domestic airports in Madurai and Tuticorin. In fact, economic development is more urgently needed in these regions rather than in Chennai, which is already a developed city. Vettri Selvan stresses, “The Chennai-based economy is not sustainable, and further influx will only cause damage.”
While the government order states that Parandur is more feasible than Pannur for the airport project due to fewer families being displaced, villagers argue that TIDCO’s survey report contradicts this data. According to the report, Pannur has only 750 families and no water bodies, making it more suitable for the project.
Subramanian, the head of the village protest union, told Maktoob, “Several politicians and affluent individuals have invested in land in Pannur. If Parandur becomes the airport, the land value there will go up. The government is prioritizing its personal benefits over people’s welfare.”
Kumar, a 60-year-old farmer from Ekanapuram, questions, “Will the MPs give up the land they own? How do they think it’s fair to ask us to give ours? We have toiled on these lands for generations. We feed the people. After displacing us and selling our land to private companies, where will they turn for food?”
Further, the farmers of the village dismiss the government’s claim that the project will not disrupt the water bodies around Parandur and that they will be preserved at any cost as baseless. They argue, “It’s contradictory. Either the airport can exist, or our lakes and rivers. How can you remove someone’s heart without killing him? This is basic logic, and even a layman knows it’s impossible. The government lacks clarity on this proposal, but our motive is crystal clear.”
“We fight for the land. Our struggle is true, just, and will sustain!”
The DMK government continues to propose compensation worth 3.5 times the basic land value and assures villagers that the project will create new employment opportunities. They claim the project will enhance economic development and benefit the natives. When I asked the Ekanapuram villagers what they thought about this, they responded with a few questions.
Rahul, the youngest of those I spoke with, asks, “Our village is green and beautiful, but there are no proper roads or sewage systems. The drainage isn’t cleaned, and it stinks. I’m in 7th grade, but our school only goes up to 8th. Why can’t the government build us good roads and a higher secondary school if they want us to develop?”
Bhuvaneshwari, 25 years old and a mother of two, asks, “My children study in the government school here. My husband is physically disabled and works at a courier office in the nearby town. I’m a daily wage worker. What job opportunity will the government offer my husband? How will I manage my family in a new place?”
Shanthi, a 70-year-old native of Ekanapuram, asks, “I have lived in this village all my life. My husband passed away 10 years ago, and we have no children. But Kalaichelvi here is like my sister. People here care for each other and help one another. If the government relocates us to a new place, we will be outsiders there. How will they accept us? How will I start a new life alone?”
While the protests continue, the police have filed cases against the villagers in an attempt to silence them. This has not deterred them from voicing their opposition for more than two years now. They raise the slogan, “Mannukkaga poradurom. Enga porattam unmaiyanadhu, nermaiyanadhu, valuvanadhu!” (We fight for the land. Our struggle is true, just, and will sustain!)
Aswathy Sreedhar is an independent writer based in Chennai.
