The government has asked State Planning Board Vice-Chairman K.M. Chandrasekhar to assess the interim report for the proposed Aeropolis project to be created around the Thiruvananthapuram international airport and to take the project forward.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting convened by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy here on Friday to review the progress of the project.
The Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), the nodal agency for the innovative project, has selected Knight Frank India Ltd to carry out a feasibility study. The KSIDC has been asked to get the interim report on the project within three weeks and the final report within four months.
The project has been initiated by the State Planning Board on the basis of a proposal put forth by Airport Director V.N. Chandran, to develop the premier airport of the State into a multi-modal hub. The meeting discussed a proposal for an airport-linked industrial base consisting of small and medium enterprises manufacturing aircraft/aviation components in the vicinity of the airport.
Aeropolis, an inclusive growth concept, envisages economic intervention and creation of a common platform for all aviation-related activities of the major industrial and information technology units. The Airports Authority of India and the project proponents wanted the multi-modal hub to be an integral part of Aeropolis, linking the airport with five modes of transport.
It was announced that a special purpose vehicle would be set up for executing the Aeropolis. The meeting was informed that cleaning of the Parvathy Puthanar adjacent to the airport boundary had commenced.