Hundreds of farmers from 12 villages in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri district staged sit-ins on 25 December, opposing the state’s move to acquire nearly 3,000 acres for a greenfield international airport at Hosur, 75 km from Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport.
The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) began land surveys this month after short-listing the Muthali-Soolagiri corridor. Farmers argue the project violates Airports Authority of India (AAI) guidelines that ban new greenfield airports within 150 km of an existing one and say acquisition threatens fertile farmland without adequate rehabilitation packages.
![Farmers Protest Land Acquisition for Proposed Hosur International Airport]()
Pro-airport local business groups counter that the facility could transform Hosur into a logistics hub for electronic-manufacturing clusters in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and relieve Bengaluru’s slot crunch. They urge state authorities to follow a ‘land-pooling’ model that grants displaced farmers equity stakes in the airport SPV (special-purpose vehicle).
The dispute underscores the land-acquisition challenges that routinely delay Indian infrastructure. Mobility planners should treat Hosur as a long-term prospect; until environmental clearances and stakeholder buy-in are secured, the nearest global gateway for expatriate assignments in southern Karnataka remains Bengaluru (BLR).
The Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) began land surveys this month after short-listing the Muthali-Soolagiri corridor. Farmers argue the project violates Airports Authority of India (AAI) guidelines that ban new greenfield airports within 150 km of an existing one and say acquisition threatens fertile farmland without adequate rehabilitation packages.
Pro-airport local business groups counter that the facility could transform Hosur into a logistics hub for electronic-manufacturing clusters in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and relieve Bengaluru’s slot crunch. They urge state authorities to follow a ‘land-pooling’ model that grants displaced farmers equity stakes in the airport SPV (special-purpose vehicle).
The dispute underscores the land-acquisition challenges that routinely delay Indian infrastructure. Mobility planners should treat Hosur as a long-term prospect; until environmental clearances and stakeholder buy-in are secured, the nearest global gateway for expatriate assignments in southern Karnataka remains Bengaluru (BLR).
Source: The Times of India
