Organisations campaigning for the development of the Calicut International Airport have been trying to mobilise public support through social media, but are sceptical about any political support to their cause, especially with regard to resuming Haj pilgrimage services.
At present, a couple of organisations are using Whatsapp and Facebook to put out their views, expecting, in turn, favourable response from people within the Malabar region and friends who are working in West Asian countries.
Even as the runway strengthening works are in progress and efforts are on to install the instrument landing system, the organisations admit that larger aircraft can land only if the runway expansion takes place.
475 acres need to be acquired
For that to happen, the government must acquire the required 475 acres. The airport authorities have made it clear that wide-bodied aircraft can be operated only if the runway is large enough to accommodate these. However, the organisations wonder why the government and the political parties in Malabar region are not thinking of reasoning out with the airport authorities on a temporary exemption for the Haj pilgrimage. The shutting of Emirates’ office at the airport completely has led to a fear that the airport expansion might not happen at all. Already the four-storey, 75,000 sq.ft. Haj House near the airport is being used to hold weddings and conventions. “It is fine to generate revenue by using it for such purposes during non-Haj season. But, if the Haj flights do not operate from this airport at all, the building might turn permanently into a wedding hall,” Malabar Development Forum secretary K.M. Basheer said.
“We are already mobilising public opinion through our Whatsapp group titled ‘Fight against Injustice,’ and are also posting our views on Facebook,” he said. Malabar Chamber of Commerce (MCC) president C. Mohan felt that this time too, the Haj services would be operated from the Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery, causing immense hardship to elderly pilgrims from Malabar region.
Asked about the status of the chamber’s earlier demand for Haj connecting services between Calicut airport and the Cochin airport, he said “we are holding a meeting of our chamber members to discuss the issue.”
