Anna, Kamaraj missing from Chennai airport – Times of India

CHENNAI: First, the name of former chief minister K Kamaraj disappeared. Now, that of another former chief minister, C N Annadurai, too has gone from Chennai airport.
A board saying ‘Anna International Terminal’ facing the airside was taken down after the portion was razed for rebuilding.
Curiously, announcements with the prefix ‘Anna International airport’ have also been dropped. The glass façade of a terminal opened in 2013 only bore ‘international terminal.’ But, the facility continued to be known as Anna International airport as international arrivals functioned from the old terminal.
Now, the airport no longer bears the name of two of the political stalwarts who lead the state in its early days.
The old domestic terminal was named after K Kamaraj, but when the building was closed and a new terminal opened adjacent to it in 2013, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) did not retain the old name. However, a name board saying ‘Kamaraj domestic terminal’ stood atop the old building facing the airside till it was pulled down early last year.
No action has been taken, either by political parties or the government, to ensure AAI retained the names of the leaders at the airport.
DMK Rajya Sabha member T K S Elangovan said it had come to the party’s notice Anna’s name was not being used at the airport. “We will raise the issue in Parliament on Friday.”
An AAI official said no decision would ever be taken to drop Anna’s name. “The old international terminal is still there but the portion which had the ‘Anna International Terminal’ board has been pulled down. This is the reason behind the concern.” The facility being called Chennai airport was not because of any instruction, he said.
The Congress too is confident Kamaraj’s legacy will not be forgotten. TNCC president K S Alagiri told TOI in March 2020 that the AAI promised to name the domestic terminal after Kamaraj after the ongoing work is completed. The confusion arose after a resolution passed in the state assembly said the domestic and international terminals, when commissioned, should be named after former chief minister M G Ramachandran. This is yet to be done. Sources said the three terminals that will come up when the integrated terminal is finished can be named after the three former CMs.