Erumeli: The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has granted site clearance for the Sabarimala Greenfield Airport project in Kerala. The Ministry gave the clearance based on various inspections carried out at Cheruvally Estate in Kottayam district and nearby areas.

The new airport at Cheruvally is expected to boost development in five districts in Central Kerala and the adjacent hill region.

The Aviation Ministry’s site clearance is a major development related to the airport project which certifies that the Cheruvally estate and adjacent land are suitable to construct an airport. The clearance follows satisfactory replies given by the state government to queries raised by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Airports Authority of India (AAI).

The next step after site clearance is land acquisition for which the Kerala Industrial Development Corporation has initiated preliminary measures. Subsequent steps are preparation of a detailed project report, setting up a company for airport construction and operations and appointment of a consultancy. Tenders would be invited for construction after land acquisition procedures are completed.

Present status
Currently, a Thiruvananthapuram-based organisation is carrying out a social impact study in the private lands which were notified by the Revenue Department. This process, which is scheduled to be completed by June, will be followed by acquisition of the plots. The State Government’s plan is to acquire 370 acres in Ozhakkanad ward of Erumeli panchayat.

Earlier, the State Government had issued an order to take over 1039.876 hectares (2570 acres) belonging to Cheruvally Estate spread over Erumeli South and Manimala villages in Kanjirappally Taluk. Subsequently, the Revenue Department pasted a notice on the estate building as a preliminary step to carry out a survey.

Court cases
However, the Believers Church, which claims ownership of the estate, approached the court against the government move and obtained a stay on survey procedures. “The court accepted our plea to prevent a survey of the estate land. However, studies have been allowed in the area,” said Fr Sijo Panthappallil, PRO of Believers Church.

Meanwhile, proceedings of another case between the state government and the Believers Church over the actual ownership of the Cheruvally Estate are still continuing before a court in Pala. The Kerala High Court also has accepted a plea by some local people against acquisition of 307 acres of private property outside the estate.

High hopes
Even amid such opposition to the airport project, Lok Sabha MP and member of the Parliamentary Civil Aviation Committee Anto Antony sounded optimistic. “The site clearance by the Aviation Ministry has taken the project another step forward. The dreams of expatriates belonging to the central Travancore area as well as Sabarimala pilgrims will be realized soon,” he said.

“The next step is to obtain clearance from the Central Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, which will not be a problem,” the MP added.