THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government has issued orders to acquire 18.53 acres of land under the direct purchase mode for the development of Thiruvananthapuram airport. A local action council that opposed the land acquisition said that the government order was against the assurances of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that 53 cents of land would be excluded from acquisition.
According to the order issued by the revenue department on March 1, 18 acres of land in Pettah village, 0.53 acres of land in Muttathara village would be acquired by conducting negotiations with the land owners. Vallakadavu Vayyammoola Joint Action Council chairman Saiffudin Hajji told DC that the Chief Minister had assured at a meeting on December 28 that the 53 cents in Muttathara village that was identified for acquisition would be exempted. The Chief Minister had also assured that the land acquisition would be done only after conducting a social impact assessment, said Mr. Saiffudin.
He also said that about 100 families were residing in the 18 acres in Pettah village identified for the acquisition and about 30 families in the 53 cents. With the government going for a demand purchase, the owners of the land could demand a better price. The 18 acres to be acquired in Pettah village falls under 40 survey numbers and the 53 cents in Muttathara village identified for acquisition is in two survey numbers.
According to the government order, the district level fair compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement committee will conduct negotiation with the land owners and would reach a consensus with them regarding the land value and furnish proposals to be placed before the state-level empowered committee. The Airports Authority of India plans to construct a new domestic terminal adjacent to the new international terminal at Chakkai building.
