Villagers oppose airport expansion, seek effective air traffic control

KANCHEEPURAM: Residents of five villages surrounding Chennai airport have asked the Tamil Nadu Government to consider alternative plans to manage the growing air traffic, instead of expanding the existing airport.This was the consensus at a meeting on Monday, convened by Kancheepuram District Collector Santhosh K Mishra to discuss grievances arising out of the likely takeover of private lands for the expansion of the Chennai airport.

The members representing the Makkal Vazvu Unimai Iyakkam said that several alternatives to manage higher air traffic volumes had been worked out by the experts.The present expansion plan, which envisages acquisition of 1,070 acres, will uproot 2,000 farmers from their agricultural lands, displace 5,000 living in huts and another 1,000 in concrete houses in the villages of Kolapakkam, Gerugambakkam, Manapakkam, Kovur and Tharapakkam.

The government's decision to allocate Rs 1,000 crores for land acquisition and another Rs 1,000 crore for the project is a sheer waste, the aggrieved people said.I

nstead of spending huge sums for rehabilitating the people, the government should consider operating small aircraft on the second runway. They should increase the landing and take-off speeds in such a manner to meet the Directorate General of Civil Aviation's (DGCA) standard of operating 50 flights an hour and implement satellite air traffic control rather than the radar system based on radio frequency.

Alternatively, the government can invest in green field airports in new areas rather than going ahead with the proposed expansion, without addressing the concerns of affected people, the residents said.

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