Chennai: The new Tamil Nadu government has scrapped the proposed Kancheepuram New Town plan, the latest in a series of infrastructure projects initiated by the previous administration to be cancelled or reviewed.
The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government announced on Monday it would scrap the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam’s (DMK) project, days after announcing the cancellation of the Parandur airport project, one of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s pre-election promises.
Within months of taking office, the new government began systematically reviewing, redesigning, or outright cancelling major initiatives launched under the previous DMK regime led by M.K. Stalin.
The DMK alleges the cancellation or halting of major projects is mere politicisation, which ultimately affects the industrial growth of the state.
The halted projects or projects under review include:
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Kancheepuram New Town Development Plan
In February 2023, the then DMK government notified a New Town covering 62.78 sq km and 18 villages around the historic temple city, along with a detailed heritage revitalisation plan for 2025–2045.
The TVK government issued a formal order on 10 August 2026 rescinding the entire notification.
The government explained the cancellation, saying that the Directorate of Town & Country Planning (DTCP) has begun preparing a master plan for the Kancheepuram Local Planning Authority area, while the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) had proposed a New Town Development Plan for the same area.
Since preparing two separate plans for the same area would result in duplication of work, the CMDA has proposed dropping the New Town Development Plan.
Meanwhile, Anna University is preparing a Master Plan for Kancheepuram. It has submitted a draft, which is ready to be sent for approval. The approval process for the plan is expected to be completed by August 2027.
Parandur Greenfield Airport
The flagship Rs 27,000-crore-plus second airport for Chennai, planned on nearly 5,746 acres of fertile multi-crop land and water bodies, was abandoned after years of farmer protests.
Vijay had made opposition to the project one of his election campaign promises. The government has said Chennai still needs a second airport but will search for an alternative site with far less impact on agriculture and livelihoods.
Vijay on 24 Aug announced in the State Assembly that the proposed greenfield airport at Parandur in Kancheepuram district, planned by the previous DMK government as Chennai’s second airport, will be scrapped to safeguard agricultural lands and the livelihoods of farmers and residents.
Metro Extension to Parandur
The proposed Chennai metro link meant to connect the new airport has been put on hold along with the airport itself. With the Parandur site abandoned, the associated rail infrastructure has no immediate justification.
The proposed metro link to Parandur was designed for planned urban and industrial growth along Chennai’s western corridor. It was planned as an elevated extension of Chennai Metro’s Corridor 4, running 53 km from Poonamallee to the proposed Parandur airport site, with about 20 stations.
Global Sports City, Semmencheri
The construction contract of the Rs 261-crore multi-sport complex, for which Stalin laid the foundation stone in February 2026, was cancelled after a review meeting in June.
The announcement to cancel the work order was made on 29 August. On Monday, Ports, Highways and Sports Minister Aadhav Arjuna clarified that the decision aims to scale the facility for larger national and international events, including Olympic Games-level competitions.
This is the same land the previous DMK government recovered in 2021 after a 20-year legal battle against the Jeppiaar Educational Trust.
Nearly 91 acres of encroached government land, valued at around Rs 2,000 crore, was reclaimed and earmarked for the global sports city.
Officials say the project will be redesigned on a larger footprint capable of hosting major national and international events, citing concerns over the original scale and possible flood-prone nature of the land.
ECR Elevated Corridor (Thiruvanmiyur-Uthandi)
The ambitious Rs 2,100-crore elevated toll corridor along the East Coast Road has been stalled with plans to review the project once again.
The TVK government has raised questions about cost inflation and the project’s overall viability as part of its scrutiny of large highway schemes.
The ECR Elevated Corridor (Thiruvanmiyur–Uthandi) was a planned 13.5 km four-lane elevated toll road along Chennai’s East Coast Road. It was intended as Tamil Nadu’s longest elevated road project to ease chronic congestion on a busy coastal stretch.
However, the government said the project needed scrutiny due to allegations of cost inflation and irregularities in the tender process. It also claims that another bid was substantially lower, and comparisons suggested that the per-km cost was higher than similar NHAI projects.
The project was omitted from the highways policy note for the current financial year, unlike other spillover works, making it unlikely to proceed in its current form. Officials have noted the contractor has mobilised machinery and financing, raising potential arbitration risks.
On the other hand, the TVK government has announced a longer 200 km Chennai-Puducherry elevated coastal corridor inspired by Mumbai-style coastal roads.
Guindy-Velachery Flyover
The Rs 310-crore flyover intended to ease congestion between Guindy and Velachery has been put on hold.
The roughly 3-km three-lane elevated corridor by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to ease severe traffic congestion on the busy stretch linking Sardar Patel Road in Guindy to the Velachery Bypass-Guru Nanak College junction covered bottlenecks at Race Course Road, Five Furlong Road, and related junctions.
It was announced in the 2025 Tamil Nadu Budget, with the foundation stone laid by Stalin in February 2026. The design included service roads and footpaths and was intended to benefit lakhs of daily commuters in south Chennai by reducing peak-hour delays on a corridor handling thousands of passenger car units per hour.
However, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) flagged a major alignment overlap of around 650 metres with the planned Tambaram-Velachery-Guindy metro corridor in 2025, raising the risk of future demolition.
Although CMRL later indicated the flyover could resume, the project was effectively halted and its tender cancelled in mid-2026 under the TVK government. The reasons cited include funding constraints, the ongoing metro conflict and tender issues.
Coimbatore Thanthai Periyar Library & Science Centre
The Rs 300-crore iconic library and science centre was nearly ready by early 2026. But despite inspections by TVK ministers and questions in the Assembly, it was not formally inaugurated months after the change of government, leaving the project hanging.
The opening of the centre was planned for February this year. Stalin inspected it before the planned inauguration, but it was delayed because of quality fixes.
In June 2026, Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjuna inspected, noted construction deficiencies identified by engineers, and stated they would be rectified for completion within the next few months.
DMK MLA E.V. Velu raised the issue in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, noting the building was essentially ready but not yet opened. He questioned the delay, while also referencing a separate Kerala Periyar memorial project.
The government has denied any intentional delays and said that the centre will be opened soon.
Hosur Knowledge Corridor
Announced as a knowledge corridor to attract Global Capability Centres, the Hosur Knowledge Corridor project remains largely on paper.
Hosur is envisioned as a hub for R&D centres, IT/ITES firms, start-ups, educational institutions and healthcare, intended to complement the existing manufacturing base in auto, electronics and related sectors.
The proposed Knowledge Corridor spans roughly 30 sq km along the Outer Ring Road, Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR), Bagalur Bypass and key bypass roads in the Hosur region.
Announced in the March 2025 Budget, TIDCO floated a tender in September 2025 seeking consultants to prepare a comprehensive 30-year vision document, master plan, land-use plan, infrastructure and mobility plan, along with sector prioritisation covering areas such as biotech, fintech and education.
Stakeholder consultations and detailed planning were to follow the consultant’s appointment but no major construction or land-allotment announcements have been made so far.
Stakeholders have repeatedly flagged the need for basic civic infrastructure first but little ground activity has been reported.
Coimbatore International Cricket Stadium
Tenders were floated in October 2025 for the proposed 25,000-seat international cricket stadium in Coimbatore, but progress has been slow with the government citing a lack of bidders.
The government said it was looking at re-examining the proposal and evaluating the project for fresh tenders, leaving the project in uncertainty.
In May 2026, Aadhav Arjuna said the proposal would be reviewed again following suggestions from the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA).
A joint inspection by TNCA representatives and technical experts was done with Aadhav Arjuna in May 2026, who noted that there would be no further progress until after the review and decision.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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