Sabarimala airport: Govt orders urgent field survey, soil test at Cheruvally site

Kottayam: The Kerala Government has decided to conduct field survey and soil test at the site of the proposed Sabarimala Airport at the Cheruvally Estate, near Erumely, in Kottayam district, on an urgent basis.

The tests are being conducted with immediate effect so as to enable the government to file a satisfactory reply to a slew of objections raised by the Union Civil Aviation Ministry regarding the proposed construction of a greenfield airport at the site.

The plans for the new airport came under a cloud with the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) finding fault with contents of the proposal submitted to the Civil Aviation Ministry by the State Government.

The DGCA had mainly pointed out lacuna in the techno-economic feasibility report submitted by the State Government. The Kerala Government had submitted the proposal for clearance without appending the results of the soil and field tests.

A legal dispute still persists over the ownership of the Cheruvally Estate. Last time, a group of people had blocked the officials when they went for conducting the field survey and soil test. The officials had to make a retreat from the place without conducting the test.

The high-level meeting presided over by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, the other day, decided to conduct these two tests urgently.

The tests would be conducted to ascertain whether the topology at the Cheruvally Estate is suitable for construction of an airport. It would also be probed how many hills and troughs have to be reclaimed to make the airport a reality.

The required information on the geological peculiarities of the land, the number of existing population living in the villages coming under the area and the extent of rehabilitation needed will be received through the field test.

GOVT TO SPEED UP LAND DISPUTE CASE

As part of speeding up the proceedings in the land dispute involving the Cheruvally Estate, advocate Saji Koduvath has been appointed the Special Government Pleader. Advocate A Mani was appearing for the government till now.

Saji is currently the special government pleader in the land disputes involving Harrisons Malayalam Plantations Limited.

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