Annamalai warns new airport delay could cost Tamil Nadu a decade
Former BJP state president K Annamalai also criticised the manner in which the Parandur project was dropped, although he supported the need to move quickly towards an alternative site.
Annamalai said the government should ideally have announced a new location along with the decision to abandon Parandur. He warned that selecting a site, securing central and statutory approvals, acquiring land, inviting tenders and obtaining the necessary licences could take many years.
In his assessment, even an immediate administrative decision on a new location could leave the State waiting close to a decade before a replacement airport becomes operational.
Annamalai said Chennai’s existing airport was already under pressure and argued that Tamil Nadu could lose valuable economic opportunities if the second airport were repeatedly delayed.
He urged the government to speed up the process of identifying a suitable location rather than allowing the issue to remain unresolved
