Kerala CM promises early decision on Kannur airport runway expansion
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 15
The Kerala government is reviewing its plan to acquire land for extending the runway at Kannur International Airport, with Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan admitting that the proposed site may not be suitable for runway construction and that the delay has caused hardship to residents.
The government will examine what steps can be taken to resolve the issue and ease the difficulties faced by the affected families, Satheesan told the Assembly on Thursday.
The proposal involves acquiring around 99.32 hectares in Keezhallur village to extend the runway from the existing 3,050 metres to 4,000 metres.
The estimated cost of land acquisition is around Rs 942.93 crore.
The government had granted administrative sanction for acquiring 99.92 hectares for the runway extension through an order issued on December 27, 2016.
However, the land has not been acquired even though the acquisition notification was issued in 2017. Satheesan said the houses in the affected area had begun to deteriorate because of the prolonged uncertainty.
He recalled that the airport compound wall collapsed during heavy rain in 2017, damaging houses.
The Chief Minister said the land itself appeared unsuitable for the proposed runway extension because it was located at a much lower elevation.
A large quantity of earth would have to be filled to raise the site to the required level, he said.
"I still do not understand why a notification was issued and the people in the area were put to such hardship," Satheesan said, adding that the government was examining the matter and would take a decision as soon as possible.
The proposed acquisition has also run into opposition over the rehabilitation package.
Families facing displacement have rejected the special package of Rs 10 lakh approved for them, which was modelled on the compensation package provided for land acquired for the runway and safety area at Kozhikode airport.
The affected people have demanded either the package originally offered during the first phase of land acquisition for Kannur airport or a revised package of Rs 15 lakh.
They have also boycotted hearings and submitted representations to the authorities.
Satheesan said the government would hold further discussions with the affected landowners to solve the rehabilitation package.
He also urged T.K. Govindan, the MLA who raised the issue in the Assembly, to take the initiative in facilitating a settlement.
The review could determine whether the proposed site will be retained for the runway extension and how the long-pending land acquisition and rehabilitation issues will be resolved.
— IANS
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