Airport: Opposition MPs to visit Aranmula

The Opposition members of the Parliamentary Committees on Environment, Civil Aviation and Defence, will be visiting Aranmula soon to collect first-hand information on the reports of violation of laws in the controversial private airport project and its socio-environmental implications.

In a statement issued here on Monday, Kummanam Rajashekharan, Thiruvaranmula Paithruka Grama Karma Samiti (TPGKS) patron, said the news of the visit was given by Sushma Swaraj, Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha.

A samiti delegation, led by Mr Rajashekharan, had submitted a memorandum to Ms. Swaraj, to Union Ministers Jayanthi Natarajan, Ajith Singh, and Mullappally Ramachandran and to Venkaiah Naidu, MP, on Monday, demanding the cancellation of whatever clearances obtained by the Chennai-based KGS Group. The memorandum also alleged that the KGS group was misleading the government over the proposed private airport at Aranmula.

Mr. Rajashekharan said the TPGKS delegation would submit the memorandum to Defence Minister A.K. Antony, senior BJP leader L.K. Advani, and Union Minister for Civil Aviation K.C. Venugopal, on Tuesday.

He said the delegation had attached with the memorandum the full text of the Vigilence Court’s order for a detailed inquiry into the violations of laws at Aranmula, and the District Collector’s order directing the RDO and Tahsildar to cancel the mutation of the land sold by Abraham Kalamannil to the KGS Group, violating the Kerala Land Reforms Act.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/airport-opposition-mps-to-visit-aranmula/article4162617.ece