The KGS Aranmula International Airport Ltd (KAIAL) hopes to restart construction of India’s first private international airport soon.
The federal ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) has listed the Rs20bn project for “finalisation of terms of reference for development of the international airport” extending to Aranmula, Mazhuppassery and Kidangannoor villages for January 6.
This is despite the resistance from opposition politicians, environmental activists and religious fundamentalists in Kerala who had made a representation to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government calling for dropping the project.
They allege the project would lead to large-scale destruction of the environment and defile the nearby temple.
Supporters for project, including the local MP and MLA, argue that the sites of the corporate airport at Kochi and the upcoming one at Kannur were also ecologically fragile but no objections had been raised.
The airport coming up in the central Kerala district of Pathanamthitta, home to a large number of expatriates, is also expected to wean away a major chunk of passengers from the Kochi as well as the state-run Thiruvananthapuram airports.
The company has assigned consultants SGS, which offers inspection, verification, testing and certification services, to prepare the environmental impact assessment (EIA).
Last month, the Supreme Court upheld the May 28 ruling of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) calling for stopping all construction activities at the site. The court questioned the competence of Enviro Care India, the agency that prepared the EIA, as it has no government accreditation.
The SGS has MoEF accreditation and its clientele include the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi and GMR Hyderabad International Airport in India.
Gigi George, its managing director, who is upbeat about the prospects of the airport despite local resistance, said he hoped the first flight would take off by 2016, bringing benefits for expatriates, pilgrims and tourists.
“The green tribunal rejected the earlier EIA study on technical grounds. We don’t foresee any more hurdles now. The new (federal) government is also keen on clearing stalled projects without further delay,” he said.
George admits that the first EIA study was conducted in haste as the previous dispensation wanted to clear the project before the 2011 state elections. It had also notified the three villages as an industrial area.
The Congress-led government, which denotified 2,000 of the 2,500 acres notified as industrial area, decided to take 10% stake in the project and to sell 55 acres in its possession if the project gets technical clearances.
The company is willing to raise the stake to 26% or beyond, similar to Kochi and Kannur.
Meanwhile, NRI supporters of the airport have also launched an online campaign. They expect at least 100,000 users to sign a change.org petition addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah to expedite the project.
The Kerala High Court had also asked the company to restore a rivulet in the government land which had been reclaimed during works for the runway. The company says construction of the runway is possible while maintaining the water bodies.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is keen on partially commissioning the project, along with the Rs18bn Kannur International Airport and the Rs52bn Kochi Metro, during his tenure that ends in May, 2016.