Airport expansion plans instill fear among residents

Chennai:

Chennai Airport requires 150 acres of land for expansion and this has been one of the major concerns of people from the surrounding villages who appeared at the environmental public hearing held for second phase of modernization of Chennai Airport on Wednesday.

Although, the second phase of modernization of Chennai Airport is to be carried out in-house, the focus of the hearing had been on airport seeking 150 acres of land for installing safety and approach lights as people from the surrounding villages, which include Pozhichalur and Cowl Bazaar bared their fear of losing their property.

Chennai Airport Director G Chandramouli, who was present at the ‘Environmental Public Hearing for Second Phase of Modernisation of Chennai Airport said Chennai airport initially sought 200 acres of land and later restricted to 150 acres of land of which 40 acres is defence land belonging to Officers Training Academy.

“We require 110 acres of land and the state government is acquiring the land,” he said at the hearing.

Highlighting their plight, Katheeravan of Cowl Bazaar said that the residents of Cowl Bazaar are always in distress. “We are not even getting brides for our boys despite having sizeable property in the heart of Chennai as most of them fear the land will be acquired by the government,” he said during the hearing, which was attended by Kanchipuram district collector P Ponniah.

Seeking assurances that their land will be not be acquired for the project, Kathiravan also highlighted that Cowl Bazaar has been ignored by officials as most of their civic issues have not been addressed.

J C Arul Dhas, general secretary of Federation of Pozhichalur Welfare Association, which represents 15 welfare associations, opposed any move to acquire land from Pozhichalur for airport expansion. Seeking assurance that their land will not be acquired for airport, he said that it has been more than a decade that Chennai Airport expansion has been making rounds and sought assurances that their land will not be touched.

The district collector informed that they won’t be taking up any land in Pozhichalur for airport expansion. He said 50 acres of land is being acquired from Manapakkam, 30 acres from Kolapakkam and 2.98 acres from Cowl Bazaar.

Interestingly, the focus was more on civic issues rather than on airport modernization with people highlighting the need to have propoer drainage network and solid waste management.

Factfile:

Chennai Airport Phase II Modernisation:

Project cost: Rs 2476 crore

Power requirement: 27.25MVA under proposed modernization

Total plastic and e-waste to be generated: 5,760kg per day

Total water required: 4.1MLD

Works;

--- Demolition and reconstruction of old domestic terminal (Terminal 2)

---- Demolition and reconstruction of old international terminal

--- Reconstruction of airside corridor for seamless integration

--- Interfacing provision in new terminal for future connection of tunnel from satellite terminal

--- Augmentation of contact bays

--- Development of multi-level car park

--- Development of itegrated common user cargo complex, after demolishing the old unused terminal at Meenambakkam

--- Development of contact bays for Category E cargo frieghters