Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram   

Airport expansion in limbo

By S. Anil Radhakrishnan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Jan. 8. E ven as the deadline fixed by the Thiruvananthapuram Airport Development Society for completing the acquisition of 27 acres expired on January 1, the development of the international airport on the Chackai side remains stalled.

The Government has not been able to acquire the land and hand it over to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) due to legal wrangles. Cases are pending in the High Court as well as the Munsiff court here in relation to the acquisition of three acres of land, the District Collector, E. Ayappan told The Hindu.

``Efforts are on to get the High Court stay vacated and the matter has been brought to the notice of the Advocate General,'' he said. The cases at the Munsiff court will be not be a problem as there was no stay involved.

Out of the 27 acres needed for commencement of the first phase of the project, which involves the new international and domestic terminal, the acquisition of 23 acres has already been completed.

The decision to acquire the 27 acres of land before January 1 had been taken at a meeting of the society chaired by the Chief Minister, A. K. Antony, at the Secretariat on November 23. Another 120 acres of land are to be acquired for the second phase of the ambitious project.

The foundation stone for the proposed modern terminal was laid by the then Union Civil Aviation Minister in July, 2000. The Civil Aviation Secretary, Roy Paul, had already announced Rs. 150 crores for the construction of the new international and domestic terminal.

Travel agents' charge

The Kerala Association of Travel Agents, Travel Agents Association of India and the Recruiting Agents Association have reiterated their charge that a section of political leaders of the State and AAI officials had joined hands with the "Mumbai lobby'' to stall the development of the international airport.

The office-bearers of the associations, K. V. Muralidharan, Ravindran and Victor Fernandes, told a press conference here today that Air India's decision to withdraw the 747 Jumbo service to Dubai and Riyadh sector within months after it was introduced from Thiruvananthapuram was also aimed at hindering the development of the airport.

The national carrier was operating only 17 flights from the capital to the Gulf sector while it was operating 34 from Nedumbassery, where many flights are empty.

The association leaders said the Chief Minister should strongly support the development of the international airport.

Without a worldclass airport in the capital, investors would not come to Kerala and there would be no development for the State, they added.

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