C Shivakumar By Express News Service CHENNAI : Modernisation of the Chennai Airport under second phase is now facing a roadblock, thanks to Madras High Court’s earlier order declaring amendments made by the State government to Centre’s land acquisition Act illegal. “The modernisation works are unlikely to meet the deadline,” said the airport director S Sreekumar. “The State government is planning to appeal against the order.” As per the order, land acquired by the State since September 2013 will be considered illegal unless it has already been put to use. Chennai airport initially sought 200 acres of land and later restricted to 150 acres, of which 40 acres is defence land belonging to the Officers Training Academy, for the second phase of modernisation. It is learnt that the state government was to acquire 110 acres of land and the process has started. Land was sought on either side of the second runway to build a fuel farm and hangars for maintenance, repairs and overhaul (MRO), and 15.83 acres at the end of the second runway to install approach lights and 4.81 acres near the main runway near the Pallavaram end. The shifting of the fuel farms and other infrastructure would help provide 10 additional parking bays for airport. “Now this has to wait,” said Sreekumar. ‘Focus on completion of 2 projects’ Interestingly, work on the Rs 2,476 crore modernisation project has already started. It is being carried out in two phases, said Sreekumar. The present passenger capacity is 14 million passengers per annum and after modernisation of airport, the passenger capacity will be 30 million passenger per annum. But the biggest challenge facing Sreekumar, who recently took over as Chennai airport director, is to ensure safety at the airport, where two major projects are being implemented -the multi-level car parking project and the Phase-1 of Second phase of modernisation project. “I do have plans but first my focus is to complete the two major projects,” says Sreekumar. He says that the multi-level car parking work is going at a fast pace and is likely to be completed by December 2020.Chennai Airport has demarcated 4.25 acres of land in two parcels at Chennai International airport for constructing multi-level car parking and commercial facilities. The land parcels are located on either flank of the airport metro station, between two metro viaduct and airport terminal building. The multi-level car parking will accommodate 2,000 vehicles at Chennai airport and will have also have retail and cinema multiplex of approximately 238,100 square feet with a large food and beverage component as well as 35,678 square feet of transit hotel facility. Big plans The multi-level car parking will accommodate 2,000 vehicles at Chennai airport and will have also have retail and cinema multiplex of approximately 238,100 square feet

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