Articles by Lokeshwaran ES

On December 22nd last year, the Chennai District Collector and the Joint Chief Environmental Engineer of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) abruptly left Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Maligai in Ennore in the middle of a public hearing. The reason? Chaos and backlash from the local communities of Ennore, who wanted to voice their concerns regarding the Ennore Thermal Power Station (ETPS) Expansion Project. Since the meeting, the unrest has persisted, with many attendees saying they were not allowed to participate, express their views, or raise their concerns. Of the 44 people who spoke at the hearing, only two were women.…

“Namma ooru, semma joru…” – the catchy song playing from garbage collection vehicles every morning is a familiar sound for most Chennai residents. The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) anthem is a reminder to take out the garbage, as the conservancy workers do their rounds in battery-operated vehicles (BOVs) collecting waste door-to-door.  Some residents diligently segregate the waste into dry, organic and reject categories before handing it over to conservancy workers. Others just get rid of the mixed waste without a thought about where it will go and what would be its environmental impact. And the cycle repeats every morning. Ever…

A ride on the dusty roads near the vast agricultural lands of Parandur and surrounding villages, and a stroll along the Ekanapuram Kadapan Thangal, one of the water bodies used for irrigation, makes one thing clear. The project site of the proposed Chennai Greenfield Airport, which encompasses more than 10 lakes and smaller water bodies, is rich in biodiversity. So, any construction activity here can have a long-lasting ecological impact. In the proposed Parandur project site, an area of 5,369 acres (2172.73 Hectares) has been earmarked for the development of the Chennai Greenfield Airport. Moreover, more than 36,000 trees will…

It's close to 700 days since residents of Parandur and surrounding villages started their protest against the government’s decision to establish a new greenfield airport at a site in that area in the outskirts of Chennai. People living there allege that authorities did not consult them or listen to their grievances before proceeding with the project.  Just after the Lok Sabha elections, the government sent a notification announcing land acquisition for the proposed airport. Recent news reports indicate that some villagers have decided to relocate to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, as their livelihoods are threatened. The impact on the lives and…

Ten lakes, two streams, 3,500 acres of agricultural land, 1,005 families and hundreds of plant and animal species — these are all under threat because of one development project. There has been a considerable buzz regarding the Chennai Greenfield Airport set to come up in Parandur on the outskirts of the city. But, not all the noise is positive. Villagers in Parandur have been protesting for almost 700 days and some have even boycotted the Lok Sabha 2024 elections, asking the government to withdraw the project.   Yet, work is steadily progressing on the greenfield airport and the government is…