TN CM Vijay expands free bus travel for women, announces 3 free LPG cylinders a year

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay on Monday, August 24, announced a major expansion of the state's fare-free bus travel scheme for women and said 1.30 crore families would receive three free cooking gas cylinders every year, while also declaring that the controversial Parandur greenfield airport project would be shelved.

Making a series of announcements in the Assembly, Vijay said women and transgenders would be allowed to travel free of cost on deluxe, express, limited-stop and mofussil bus services from October 2, 2026. The expansion is expected to cost the state about Rs 6,000 crore annually.

Mofussil services cover inter-district routes as well as hilly destinations. At present, women can travel free on buses categorised as ordinary services and are also entitled to free travel for up to 40 km in hilly areas.

Vijay said there would be no income ceiling or restriction on the number of trips for women under the scheme, which has been named Vettri Payanam, or "journey to success", after his party Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam.

"Through the Vetri Payanam scheme, opportunities for women will expand, families will progress, social justice and equality will be established firmly, and our journey towards creating a prosperous, successful Tamil Nadu will gain even greater strength," he said while making the statement under Rule 110.

He said women's mobility was closely linked to their economic independence and the progress of their families, adding that a nation's development should be measured not merely by economic growth but also by opportunities available to women in education, employment and healthcare.

Vijay also announced the first phase of the Annapoorani Super Six scheme, a key electoral promise of TVK under which six free LPG cylinders had been promised annually to eligible families.

Initially, three free cooking gas cylinders will be provided every year, with the amount credited directly into beneficiaries' bank accounts. The scheme will be launched around the Pongal festival in mid-January 2027 and will cost the state about Rs 4,000 crore annually.

The benefit will cover 1,30,16,104 families, including those with annual incomes of around Rs 2.5 lakh, economically backward families, small and marginal farmers, persons with disabilities and poor households.

"This will reduce the burden of the people who have been spending extra amount to obtain the cylinders. The government has decided to provide the cost of the cooking gas cylinders," Vijay said, drawing loud thumping of tables from the Treasury benches.

In another major decision, Vijay announced that the Parandur greenfield airport project would be abandoned and that an alternative location would be identified for Chennai's second airport.

The project had faced sustained opposition from farmers and residents who feared losing their agricultural land and homes. Vijay said nearly 55 per cent of the land identified for the airport consisted of waterbodies and wetlands, making runway operations unsafe and increasing the risk of flooding.

"The TVK government stands firmly with the people," he said, asserting that development would not be pursued at the cost of local communities.

The government will identify an alternative site after detailed technical feasibility studies and ensure that the chosen location does not face public opposition, he said.

At the same time, the government plans to add a fifth terminal on the north-western side of Chennai International Airport at Meenambakkam, increasing its annual passenger-handling capacity by another 20 million.

Once work on the third terminal is completed, the airport will be capable of handling 35 million passengers annually. With the two terminals, the total additional passenger-handling capacity will rise to 55 million, Vijay said.

The Parandur announcement immediately drew protests from the Opposition DMK, which said shifting the project would cause economic damage to the state.

The airport had been planned by the previous DMK government as a second airport for Chennai, covering more than 5,700 acres across 13 villages in neighbouring Kancheepuram district at an estimated cost of Rs 27,400 crore.

Farmers, landowners and residents, particularly those from Ekanapuram, had led a prolonged agitation against the project, claiming that nearly 2,500 people would be displaced and their livelihoods affected.

The 1,100-day protest ended on August 24, 2026.

Vijay recalled his visit to Ekanapuram on January 20, 2025, when he was the president of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam and had assured protesting farmers that he would stand by them and protect their fertile agricultural land and homes.

"I stand firmly with the people. The steps taken to establish a new airport at Parandur will be abandoned by this government," he said.