Kerala High Court asks state to hear Aranmula International Airport before decision

Kochi: The state government has submitted before the Kerala High Court that an opportunity would be granted to KGS Aranmula International Airport Ltd to present its case before taking a decision on the future of the airport. The KGS group moved the court arguing that the state had decided to wind up the project.
The group stated that the government was attempting to take a decision prejudicial to the interest of the petitioner seeking to cancel the sanction accorded to them. The petitioner apprehended that the government would take a decision without hearing the group.

The state submitted that no decision had been taken and that the petition was filed merely on an apprehension. The state undertook that if at all a decision is taken either way, the petitioner would be heard before such a decision is taken. Justice K. Vinod Chandran closed the KGS plea after recording the state's submission. The KGS argued that the proposed airport was meant for public purpose and that the project site was identified considering the advantages of the location. The petitioner has spent crores of rupees for the development of the airport.

The consistent stand taken by the government reflected in its affidavit before the High Court. The state had earlier submitted: “It was found that the proposed project area constitutes large extents of paddy and wet land which cannot be legally converted for the purpose of a private company in view of existing legal provisions. It is also found that the provisions of the Land Reforms Act, especially the ceiling provisions, will also come into play regarding the title and ownership of the extent of land now claimed by the company.” The state stated that after the verification, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had ordered to take immediate steps to cancel the notification declaring it as an industrial area and also to examine whether the GO granting in-principle sanction to the airport project could be cancelled.