TAMBARAM: Is there an alternative to the proposed Chennai airport modernisation project, which when implemented may displace several thousands from their homes? Yes, say a bunch of young designers.

While welcoming the proposal for a city airport on par with international standards, the entrepreneurs raised concern about the resettlement of displaced families and re-routing of the Adyar river.

Help from aviation experts

J. P. Mohandas, a graduate from the National Institute of Ahmedabad, and his team of designers have compiled a report, `The voice of one endangered Indian among 25,000 other fellow citizens' over the past two weeks. The report was prepared under the guidance of experts in the aviation industry.

A copy of the report has been sent to the Central and State Governments to prompt a re-evaluation of "feasible options to establish an ultra-modern airport with runways to handle huge aircrafts." "The immediate concern is the rehabilitation of 25,000 people who would lose their lands for the airport modernisation project," Mr. Mohandas said.

Re-routing the Adyar river would not only be expensive but also endanger the proposed new runways in the event of a flood. In the deluge in December last year, the Adyar river rose to a height of more than 12 feet in Anakaputhur and Nandambakkam.

The designers fear that the administrative mechanism would be unable to compensate people for their demolished structures.

Human habitations

One among the alternatives suggested is construction of a new airport with two to three runways spanning 12,000-feet on the vast tracts of land available in the north-western and northern fringes of the city. These, in turn, could be connected to the existing airport by a fast mode of surface transport. "The new airport should be built in a place that causes minimum damage to human habitations," Mr. Mohandas said.

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