BackKerala govt to withdraw in-principle nod for disputed Aranmula airport project
The latest development is in line with the declared policy of the new LDF govt in Kerala to shelve the airport project, a decade after it was cleared by the last LDF govt of 2006-11
Premium
Bengaluru: It’s the end of the road for Aranmula airport, 10 years after the proposal was floated.
The Kerala government on Wednesday told the state high court that it is taking steps to withdraw the in-principle approval for the proposed airport, which was to come up 100km north of capital Thiruvanthapuram, which hosts another international airport.
From the beginning, environmental activists and devotees of a Hindu temple near the proposed site in Pathanamthitta district had opposed the proposal to construct the 2,000 crore airport.
The latest development is in line with the declared policy of the new Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala to shelve the airport project, a decade after it was cleared by the last LDF government of 2006-11 and carried forward by the previous Congress-led government. V.S. Sunil Kumar, minister for agriculture, had recently said that the government will resume farming on the land identified for the airport construction on 1 November.
Based on the in-principle approval, roughly 500 acres were acquired, until the National Green Tribunal in 2014 set aside the environmental clearance and asked the government to stop construction.
Hopes of reviving project were rekindled recently after PTI reported on 29 July that a panel under the Union environment ministry permitted its promoters KGS group to conduct a fresh environmental assessment study for the airport.
While dealing with several cases related to the airport, the high court had recently asked the government to submit its position, an officer in the state advocate general’s office said.
The affidavit filed in response to that query, a copy of which has been reviewed by Mint, outlines a series of “violations" in the airport’s construction so far, including flouting environmental and land related laws.
Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has ordered immediate steps to cancel the declaration of the project site as an industrial area and also to examine whether the government order granting in-principle sanction to the airport project be cancelled, the affidavit said.
Steps are being taken to issue a necessary notification to this effect, which is waiting for the vetting of the law department and the cabinet, it said.
A KGS spokesperson said the company is reserving its comments on the development since it has not received any official communication from the government or the court.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
