The Calicut Chamber of Commerce and Industry has come out with a demand to privatise the Calicut International Airport, as the government had “completely failed” to ensure the development of the airport even after more than two decades.
The office bearers of the traders’ and businessmen’s body, which decided to submit a memorandum to Union Minister for Civil Aviation P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju, said privatisation seemed the “only way out” for the salvation of the airport now. “Making it a limited company will be ideal,” said P. Gangadharan, president of the chamber.
The awful failure of the government, according to the chamber, to ensure acquisition of the required land for the airport was continuing for over 20 years now.
“Had it (government) been able to get the required land on time, the airport would now have a different story of success to tell,” said Abdulla Maliyekkal, secretary of the organisation.
The airport is yet to develop its second terminal for want of space. “We don’t think that the government will be able to do anything about it even after 10 years from now,” he said, exclaiming why an airport, which had registered an annual growth of 20 per cent, was being neglected by the government in such an appalling way.
Other airports
The chamber authorities said the government should consider the Calicut airport also among the list of other airports such as the Jaipur, Lucknow, and Ahmedabad international airports, which were also being seriously considered for privatisation.
Pointing out a number of advantages the airport will get once it is privatised, the chamber office bearers said the people of Malabar would not mind the idea provided they got excellent services. “It would be a 100 per cent success and the government should seriously consider it,” said Mr. Abdulla.
'Inability to acquire land failure of government’
‘Second terminal yet to be developed for want of space’
