District Collector Biju Prabhakar has said that a transparent approach will be taken on the issue of land acquisition for the expansion of Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. If the runway is not extended, a situation will arise wherein airline companies will keep away from the airport, he said in a press release here on Saturday.
According to the Collector, about 250 metres of the runway is not being used now as the traffic along Ponnara Bridge at Vallakkadavu cannot be stopped. Also 350 metres of the runway cannot be used because the trees near All Saints’ College cannot be cut. Flights from the northern side now have to travel extra distance towards Kovalam side for landing, causing them to use up more fuel.
Opposers not land-owners
He said that those opposing the land acquisition are not land owners or natives of these places. The land owners are ready to cooperate with the developmental activities. In the garb of a protest, some elements are planning to buy off land at cheap rates and sell it at higher rates to the government. There has been information that some of them had approached the land owners with offer to buy their land. Discussions will be held with the land owners and survey activities will be taken up only after that.
“People from the Southern districts of the State, as well as those from Kanyakumari and Tuticorin depend on the Thiruvananthapuram airport. If the flights from here are shifted elsewhere, it will affect the future growth of the airport. There are plans for new airports in Kanyakumari and Tuticorin. If we lose the passengers from Tamil Nadu, it will cause financial difficulties,” he said.
The Vallakkadavu-Vayyamoola Joint Action Council and the Airport Janakeeya Action Council will organise a protest meeting at the Sahridaya grounds in Vallakkadavu on Sunday at 4 p.m. against the land acquisition for the airport.
