Govt of Kerala scraps orders related to Aranmula airport project

National Green Tribunal has earlier decided against the environmental clearance issued to the project

The Government of Kerala on Wednesday cancelled all the previous decisions taken by it related to the greenfield international airport project in Aranmula, in Pathanamthitta district, close to Sabarimala temple, including its in-principal approval.

Chennai-based KGS Group was planning to set up a private international greenfield airport in the location with an investment of around Rs 2,000 crore, in an area of around 700 acres.

The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting held on Wednesday. "The government has decided to cancel all the government orders related to the issue, including the in-principal approval for the Aranmula greenfield project," said an announcement by the government.

KGS Group officials were not available for a comment immediately. The Group has the project under the name KGS Aranmula International Airport Ltd.

According to earlier reports, the company officials said during the period of the Congress-led government earlier, there were proposals that the State government would pick up 10 per cent stake in the company.

However, in May 2014, the National Green Tribunal has cancelled the environment clearance to the project, asking the Group to stop all the construction activities going on at the project site. Reports also state that an appeal against this decision was dismissed by the Supreme Court and the Centre also cancelled the in-principal approval it has provided earlier.

The company officials have earlier said that it has acquired the land and the airport had been designed to cater to aircraft like Airbus A-320 and Boeing 747 and would generate direct employment to 1,500 people and indirect jobs for 6,000. It was also looking at the traffic from the pilgrims, with the Sabarimala Dharmasastha temple located an hour's drive from the airport.

The government has granted in-principle approval for setting up of the new airport in September 2012, informed the then Minister of State for Civil Aviation K C Venugopal in December 2013.

After the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), came to power, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that while the government is not against airports, the particular project cannot be allowed since it would destroy the environment.

Reports are that the State government has identified land at Erumely, in Kottayam district and also closer to Sabarimala, to set up an airport.

At present, the state has three international airports, one each in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode and the concept of a new airport is boosted by the pilgrim tourists who throng the State to visit the Sabarimala temple during the season.