Kerala govt notifies land to be acquired for Sabarimala airport

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has notified the land it intends to acquire for the construction of the Sabarimala Greenfield airport which is aimed at promoting tourism and making devotees' pilgrimage to the hill-top shrine of Lord Ayyappa in Pathanamthitta district of the state easier.

In the notification issued on March 13, the government has listed out 441 parcels of land that it plans to acquire for the airport project and had invited objections from persons interested in those properties.

The state government has said that the Sabarimala airport will make the devotees' pilgrimage to the hill-top shrine of Lord Ayyappa there more convenient, promote tourism and boost the economy.

Besides that, it would also help people of the area to travel across the world from there once the airport comes up, the government said.

The Centre has granted site and defence clearance for the Sabarimala Greenfield Airport project.

The application for security clearance for the project is under consideration of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had told the state Assembly in February.

He had also said that an environmental impact study report has been prepared and a seven-member expert committee, appointed to study the final Social Impact Assessment study report prepared by the Centre for Management Development (CMD), has submitted its recommendations regarding the project.

Based on the committee's recommendations, the process of acquiring around 2,570 acres of land for the construction of the airport has been initiated, he had said.

The Kerala government had in December last year issued an order to proceed with the acquisition of 2,570 acres of land in Kottayam district for this ambitious project.

The airport is being developed on land in Erumeli South and Manimala villages in Kottayam district.