Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram   

Decks cleared for terminal project

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM June 13. The decks have been cleared for the construction of a state-of-the-art terminal for the State's premier international airport here with the State Government taking a decision to write to the Union Civil Aviation Department to set up the terminal on the Chakkai side.

The State Chief Secretary, N. Chandrasekharan Nair, is expected to write to the Union Civil Aviation Secretary, Roy Paul, in this connection. A decision to this effect was taken at the meeting of the Thiruvananthapuram Airport Development Society held here on Thursday under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, A. K. Antony.

The meeting also decided to acquire 120 acres needed for the second phase of the terminal project. A decision on issuing clearance for acquiring the 120 acres on the Chakkai side is expected to be taken in the next Cabinet meeting.

The Tourism Secretary, T. Balakrishnan, who also holds charge of the post of the Managing Director of the Airport Development Society, said the Government was awaiting the orders of the High Court on its plea for vacating a stay on the acquisition of three acres. The final hearing on the matter was held on June 9.

The Government would be able to hand over the entire 27 acres to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) once the stay was vacated, Mr. Balakrishnan said. The remaining 24 acres needed for the project had been acquired and was already in the possession of the district administration.

V. S. Sivakumar, MP, said the Chief Minister, A. K. Antony, had agreed to take up the terminal project with the Union Government. The Chief Minister had also agreed to go to New Delhi during the next Parliament session to expedite matters.

The Union Civil Aviation Ministry had announced Rs. 150 crores for the terminal project, to be constructed by the AAI. But the Authority and the Ministry were insisting on the required land being handed over before the work on the project commenced.

The Government's decision to go ahead with the terminal project has come at a time when a section of locals are agitating against the shifting of the terminal to the Chackai side while another section is opposing the land acquisition for the project.

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