Arrangements are being made for setting up a permanent helipad at Guruvayur in the district, P.C. Chacko, MP, has said.
Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, he said 10 acres of land owned by the Guruvayur Devaswom on Dwaraka beach would be used for constructing the helipad. “A private company, Pavan Hans, will operate helicopter services between Guruvayur and Nedumbassery. The services will be useful for thousands of devotees from different parts of the country who want to visit the Guruvayur Sreekrishna Temple,” he added.
He said the contruction of a full-fledged airport near Guruvayur had also been proposed. “A team of experts led by chairman of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will visit Guruvayur shortly to conduct a feasibility study. The Guruvayur Devaswom owns 400 acres of land at Kandanassery, near Guruvayur. The possibility of getting this land for construction of an airport is being looked into,” he stated.
Work on the proposed Guruvayur-Tirur railway line would be started this year. “Formalities for upgradation of the Thrissur railway station into a multi-facility station have been completed. The project will be implemented through public-private partnership. The work involves about Rs.200 crore. A few agencies have shown interest in it. Development programmes for Irinjalakuda, Ollur, Kodakara, Punkunnam and Guruvayur railway stations have also been approved,” he said.
The National Highway Authority of India had agreed to pay the current market rate for land acquired for widening the national highways, he noted. “Low compensation has been the main complaint of people whose land is being acquired.”
Package for kole land
A package for the development of over 30,000 hectares of kole paddy land in Thrissur and Malappuram districts was under consideration, Mr. Chacko announced. “A meeting was held in this connection. Scientist M.S. Swaminathan and scientists from the Indian Council for Agricultural Research took part in it. The M.S. Swaminathan Institute and the ICAR have been asked to prepare a master plan for the purpose.”
A Central school in the Thrissur Parliamentary constituency would soon be a reality, he said. “The State government has offered 7 acres for the school on the Kerala Police Academy campus and has promised temporary infrastructure facilities. If the facilities are enough, the school will function from this academic year. Or else, it would be started only in the next academic year,” he added.
