Kerala - Kannur   

Nod for airport raises hopes of better days

KANNUR: There are few subjects that can muster consensus in the district where deep-rooted political rivalry overshadows most of the issues that call for collective efforts. Since the proposed Kannur airport is one of them, the Union Cabinet’s ‘in-principle’ approval for the airport proposal was greeted jubilantly here as it is expected to accelerate development of the entire North Malabar region. The Cabinet approval is for a greenfield international airport through public-private partnership route. The airport will come up on a 2,000-acre land near Mattannur, nearly 25 km from here.

The proposal has been on a roller-coaster ever since the then Civil Aviation Minister C.M. Ibrahim announced in 1996 that the government would sanction the airport. Hopes were further enhanced by the initiatives of the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government to begin land acquisition for the project.

A major obstacle was the Civil Aviation Ministry’s norm that there should be land for developing two runways before new airports could be sanctioned. The State government succeeded in convincing the Centre that this norm would be difficult to follow in a densely populated State like Kerala. There was another ‘in principle’ sanction by the Civil Aviation Ministry in 2004. But, the delay in acquiring land for the project created an impression that the project might be a non-starter.

However, the campaign gathered momentum after the reconstitution of the Kannur Airport Action Committee with Home and Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan as chairman and A.P. Abdullakutty, MP, and K. Sudhakaran, MLA, as conveners. The State Cabinet decision in April last year approving acquisition of 2,000 acres of land and appointment of Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA) also came as a fresh impetus to the proposal. Mr. Abdullakutty said the Cabinet approval would pave the way for development of the region which has potential for tourism and handloom sectors. “It will strengthen textile industry,” C. Jayachandran, Kerala Textile Exporters Organisation president, said. Echoing this, North Malabar Chamber of Commerce president Mahesh Chandra Baliga said that tourism, handloom and plywood sectors would benefit.

Land acquisition procedure has already got under way. Nearly 60 revenue officials are involved in the acquisition works. In the first phase, 1.266 acres of land will be acquired.

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Nod for airport raises hopes of better days

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