Govindaraj Janardhanan is struggling to find words to describe his relief. A farmer from Ekanapuram village near Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu, who also works part-time at a private firm, Janardhanan is happy that the Tamil Nadu government has paused the Parandur airport project and may even drop it altogether. “This decision will save our village and agricultural lands from being destroyed,” he says.On May 4, when the results of the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections were announced and actor-turned-politician C. Joseph Vijay was elected as the new Chief Minister, a wave of excitement spread across many parts of the State.For Ekanapuram, largely made up of agricultural lands, wetlands, and small-scale farms, the moment was significant. The village had been at the centre of a massive farmers’ movement against the proposed ₹27,400 crore greenfield airport project at Parandur. Planned as Chennai’s second airport, the project involved the acquisition of more than 5,300 acres from more than 13 villages in and around Parandur. As per the proposal, Ekanapuram was to fall within both runways of the airport.Six months before coming to power, Vijay had visited the protesting villagers and extended his support to their cause, which had been ongoing since 2022.Today, the village, located nearly 50 kilometres from the existing Chennai airport at Meenambakkam, is cautiously optimistic. While the State Minister for Energy Resources and Law, R. Nirmalkumar, said that the State government would drop the Parandur airport project and look for alternative sites, a stance reiterated by the Industries Minister, S. Keerthana, an official announcement or a Government Order is still awaited in this regard. For industry representatives and several travellers, however, the government’s decision has come as a disappointment.Relief in EkanapuramThe airport project faced strong opposition from the residents of Ekanapuram, who feared displacement, the loss of agricultural land, and environmental damage, particularly its possible impact on local water bodies. In the project area, 26.54% comprises wetlands, according to Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation, the nodal agency executing the airport project.“We were shattered when the announcement to build the airport was made in 2022,” says G. Subramanian, Secretary of the Parandur Airport Opposition Joint Movement, a coalition of villagers, farmers, and environmentalists. “After protesting for nearly 1,000 days, we are glad that the government is going to drop the project now.”Subramanian explains that the project site is full of water bodies. “Nelvoy lake and water bodies including Vayaleri, Kadaperi, and Kalieri would have been affected. The path of the Kamban canal passing through the project area too would have been obstructed,” he says.Filling up water bodies with concrete and urbanising the area would not only destroy these villages but could also have wider consequences for Chennai, which has experienced flooding on several occasions during the monsoon season, he says. “The city may witness a disaster if this project is implemented,” Subramanian says.He is quick to clarify that the residents of the village are not opposed to development, but only want the government to pick a better location for the project. “We are not opposing a second airport for the city. We are only asking the government to look for other options,” he says.