THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Residents of Vayyamoola near Vallakadavu, who are likely to be evicted for the expansion of Thiruvananthapuram international airport, urged district collector K. Vasuki to ensure rehabilitation at nearby areas and preference in casual jobs at airport. Ms Vasuki on Monday visited the areas to be acquired for airport expansion and urged the local residents to cooperate with the Social Impact Assessment and land survey. Ms. Vasuki, accompanied by revenue officials, visited most areas, but did not face any resistance from the public.
The residents urged the collector that many of them were evicted earlier too as part of airport expansion and hence the district administration should ensure that they did not face any further eviction. "The residents raised some genuine concerns. But they agreed to cooperate with the social impact assessment and land survey. I too assured them to take up their concerns with the government and try for positive outcomes," the district collector told this paper. Vallakadavu-Vayyamoola Joint Action Council leader Saifuddin Haji told this paper that the residents cited that nearly half of them were involved in local jobs and hence should be rehabilitated in nearby areas itself.
"We also urged that members of families to be evicted for airport expansion may be given preference in contract jobs like trolley pushers in airport. We also urged that the compensation to be paid to the evictees should be made free from taxes," Mr. Saifuddin said. The district collector is likely to the take up the demands of the local residents during a review meeting by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan this week.
The Loyola College of Social Sciences, Thiruvananthapuram, is planning to conduct field visit as part of the social impact study this week itself. The revenue authorities will also carry out the land survey simultaneously. About 18 acres of land would be acquired for expanding the existing international terminal at Chakki side and convert it as an integrated terminal for international and domestic operations.
