Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO) on February 9 extended the deadline for receiving proposals from consultants to prepare the Detailed Techno-Economic Report (DTER) for the proposed Parandur airport. This is the second time the date has been extended as the consortiums and bidders asked for more time to submit their proposals. The bids were supposed to be opened on January 6 but it was extended for a month. Now, it was extended till the last week of February.

TIDCO had floated a tender inviting international competitive bids from consultants to prepare a DTER for the proposed second airport for Chennai at Parandur on December 5. The DTER is required to avail statutory clearances and for assistance in conducting bid process management for the proposed development model for the greenfield airport. The last date for submission of proposals is now February 27.

The selected consultant should have a team of seven core members with adequate expertise in the airport/aviation sector, airport planning, environment, and social impact. The core team will be tasked with carrying out market demand assessment and air traffic forecasting to identify the technical and economic factors influencing the development and operation of the airport.

On February 4,  Jyotiraditya Scindia, Union Minister for Civil Aviation & Steel said the Union government is fully and completely committed to building a second airport to Chennai in Parandur.

Residents of Parandur and 12 neighbouring villages, who are against the project, are planning to observe the 200th-day protest on Saturday, February 11.  An event has been planned at Ambedkar ground in Eganapuram, one of the 13 villages to be affected by the project, on that date. They have also invited Velmurugan, founder of Thamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi, and the MLA of the Panruti constituency to participate in the protest.

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