Thiruvananthapuram: The proposed Erumeli airport has been given in-principle clearance, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
Mr Vijayan told Mr P.C. George MLA, who raised the issue in the Assembly through a submission on Tuesday, that applications for environment clearance had been handed over to the central government. Other procedures will begin after getting the clearance, said Mr Vijayan.
Sources said that the state cabinet had in August 2017 approved the recommendation of the three-member committee headed by additional chief secretary (revenue) P.H. Kurian to choose the 2,268-acre Cheruvally estate in Kanjirapally taluk for the proposed greenfield airport, which will benefit the Sabarimala pilgrims.
However, later the High Court dismissed special officer M. G. Rajamanickam's directive to take over the land in possession of Harrisons Malayalam Ltd (HML). This is likely to leave a financial burden on the government for the land acquisition for the project.
Bishop K.P. Yohannan's Believers Church, which bought the land from HML, has the ownership right of the land which was proposed as the site for the project. Around 800 acres of the total 2,263 acres in the estate is needed for it. The government will have to acquire the land from Believers Church, sources said.
