New Delhi/Chennai, Aug 1 (IANS): The process for a second airport in Tamil Nadu's capital is advancing with the Ministry of Civil Aviation going along with the choice of the state government for its site.

Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Gen V.K. Singh (retd) in a reply to a question from Rajya Sabha MP member Kanimozhi N.V.N. Somu said that the Tamil Nadu government has short-listed Parandur as the site for the Greenfield airport.

The state government will have to submit a proposal to the Ministry for grant of site clearance for the airport site.

The Tamil Nadu state government had short-listed four sites -- Pannur, Parandur, Tiruporur, and Padalam -- for the second airport at Chennai. An Airport Authority of India team visited all the four shortlisted sites and submitted a report to the Ministry.

Two sites -- Pannur and Parandur -- were finally shortlisted and after several rounds of technical and other feasibility studies, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation had a meeting with the Tamil Nadu government.

State Industries Minister Thangam Thenarasu, who was part of the discussions, had told media persons that the Central government had expressed its willingness to go along with the recommendations of the state government.

The AAI had, in its pre-feasibility study, recommended Pannur as the ideal choice for the second airport at Chennai but the state government had found Parandur as the ideal site after its own Obstacle Limitation Surface survey and Techno-Economic Feasibility studies.

The ease of land acquisition and safety and environmental clearances were also taken into account by the state government in choosing Parandur.