Paddy fields to be converted, no forceful displacement of families
KGS Aranmula International Airport Ltd. has got all necessary clearances for developing the country’s first greenfield private airport at Aranmula, P.T. Nandakumar, the company’s executive director, has said.
Mr. Nandakumar, accompanied by Joe Scaria, communications manager of the company, was addressing a press conference on Wednesday. He said a team from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) accorded full clearance for the proposed airport after visiting the site.
Mr. Nandakumar said the proposed airport project, estimated to cost Rs.2,000 crore, was expected to be ready for operation in the next two years. He said the company had already acquired nearly 350 acres of land in the three villages of Aranmula, Mallappuzhasserry, and Kidangannur. He claimed that mutation process of 232 acres of the land purchased for the project had been completed.
Mr. Nandakumar said there was no question of forceful displacement of any family in the name of the project. But, the company would offer handsome price, much higher than the prevailing market price, to acquire the land required for the project.
When asked about the revenue poromboke and the natural stream lying in between, the KGS official said the company would construct the runway over the natural stream, ensuring its natural flow.
Mr. Nandakumar said the company, if needed, would convert the paddy land required for the proposed project after obtaining all mandatory clearances in due course. However, he said the KGS Group did not have any role in the illegal conversion of the paddy fields that took place at Aranmula earlier.
The runway length of the proposed international airport would be 3,100 X 45 m and the terminal building was designed to handle as many as 1,000 passengers at a time.
Mr. Nandakumar said the company had obtained clearances for the airport in Aranmula from the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Kerala government.
When the opposition raised by Leader of Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan and CPI(M) State unit secretary Pinarayi Vijayan was pointed out, the KGS official said the no-objection certificate was issued by none other than the previous LDF Government.
However, the KGS official had failed to answer many pertinent questions on various environmental problems, alleged corruption, and irregularities taken place in the name of the airport project.
· Company already acquired 350 acres in 3 villages
· KGS official failed to answer many queries by journalists
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