The Tamil Nadu government has approved the compensation payable to landowners for the proposed second Chennai airport at Parandur in Kancheepuram district, fixing payments at between Rs 3.5 million and Rs 25.7 million per acre. The figures were calculated from guideline values, recent sale prices and state level negotiations, according to a government order issued on 25 June by the Industries, Investment Promotion and Commerce Department.

Although officials insist the package sits “well above market price”, residents of thirteen affected villages—who have opposed the scheme since July 2022—argue that the authorities have equated guideline and sale values in most cases to make the offer appear generous. They also say no private negotiations have yet taken place.

The state intends to acquire 3,774.1 acres of patta land under the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Lands for Industries Purposes Act 1997 and to transfer 1,972.17 acres of government land for the greenfield project. Rough estimates put the overall compensation bill at about Rs 215.9 billion.

Three slabs apply. Land with a guideline value over Rs 1.7 million per acre attracts up to Rs 25.8 million per acre. Owners of 7.2 acres in Attupurthi village, where the guideline value is Rs 0.75 million, will nevertheless receive the top rate. In Ekanapuram—epicentre of the protest—payments fall in the second band at roughly Rs 7.6 million to Rs 12 million per acre. The order does not specify terms for a remaining 392.75 acres.

Landholders may choose either the lump sum or an annuity of Rs 3,000 a month for twenty years, plus compensation for houses, cattle sheds and similar structures. Acquisition officers have been told to complete the process strictly under statutory norms.

Campaigner S D Kathiresan said Ekanapuram residents would “totally reject” the package, accusing the government of trying to divide communities by offering higher prices elsewhere. Environmental group Poovulagin Nanbargal added that flight path maps place the village directly beneath the projected runway, making displacement inevitable.