Wednesday 10 April 2013

Farmers mull legal action on airport project

Kozhikode: The National Green Tribunal order granting interim stay on the Aranmula airport construction has come as a morale booster for hundreds of farmers fighting to protect the largest remaining paddy cluster in Wayanad,which has been selected as the site for the proposed feeder airport project at Panamaram.
Emboldened by the court order,the farmers collective is mulling similar legal action and has already served notices to the state chief secretary and the industries department as a precursor to taking legal recourse if the state government went ahead with the project.
Lending credence to their conservation stand,the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB)has written to chief minister Oommen Chandy expressing concerns about the project.vironmentalists.
KSBB member secretary K P Lalad said,The proposed site is not suitable for an airport as the area is ecologically fragile.We are not against a feeder airport in Wayanad.The state should consider other areas which do not have wetlands or a fragile ecosystem, he added.
Meanwhile,KSIDC officials told TOI that the consultant selected to conduct the techno-economic feasibility study and the environmental impact assessment study of the airport will commence the work from next week onwards.
No change in airport project C hief minister Oommen Chandy on Wednesday clarified that the state governments stand on the Aranmula airport remained unchanged,despite a green tribunal stay on the greenfield project.The UDF government was of view that the airport should come at Aranmula,hence it would support the project,Chandy added.
http://mobiletoi.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=5&sectid=edid=&edlabel=TOIKRKO&mydateHid=04-04-2013&pubname=Times+of+India+-+Kochi&edname=&articleid=Ar00502&publabel=TOI
 

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