Senior Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran said here on Monday that the Oommen Chandy government was attempting to cover up the irregularities that had taken place in the name of the Aranmula airport project by taking 10 per cent equity in the controversial project.
Mr Sudheeran was speaking after inaugurating a public meeting organised by the people’s action council, Palliyoda Pallivilakku Samrakshana Samiti, to mark the 400th day of the agitation against the airport project.
Taking strong exception to the United Democratic Front (UDF) government’s approach to the private airport project, which, according to him, was against the interests of the local population, the Congress leader said there was every reason to suspect that the government was acting in the interests of certain financial forces.
According to him, a proper techno-economic feasibility study, foolproof environment impact assessment, an unbiased introspection into the claims of the promoters and above all the interests of the local population should have been made before giving the in-principle clearance for the project.
The previous Left Democratic Front government had failed in doing this for reasons best known to the people concerned. Unfortunately, Mr Chandy who was Mr. Achuthanandan’s successor had committed the same mistake, he alleged.
Mr. Sudheeran said Mr Chandy had made a grave mistake by sidelining the crucial report submitted by the Legislative Committee on Environment on the airport project.
This was tantamount to belittling even the authority of the Legislative panel, Mr Sudheeran added. The Assembly panel chaired by the Congress MLA C.P.Mohammed had unanimously opposed construction of the airport project by converting the paddy land and wetland at Aranmula, he said.
Mr Sudheeran said he had personally handed over a copy of the Assembly panel’s findings to Mr. Chandy so as to ensure the UDF government did not make any mistake on the issue.
He called upon the government to cancel the decision to take 10 per cent equity in the airport project and act strictly as per the findings and recommendations of the Assembly panel.
Peelipose Thomas, AICC member; K.K. Royson, former district panchayat president; Malethu Saraladevi, former MLA; and C.R. Neelakantan, social activist, spoke.
Keywords: Aranmula protests, Aranmula project, international airport project, protest march, Aranmula land mafia
It is by the interest of the KGS Company, the said proposal is put
forward to the govt. of kerala by the "peoples representatives"
(rather kgs representatives) Also, the govt. of kerala has made its
stand very clear on investments, that govt would not invest in project
where the capital investment is more than 5 crore.Here, the KGS
Aranmula Airport is a private airport and the estimate cost is Rs.
2000 Cr. What is the special interest of Kerala govt to invest for a
private airport. If the share is 10% the Govt. of Kerala has to invest
Rs. 200 Cr. It is not a genuine need for the interest of the public.
Here KGS want Kerala govt as a partner with 10% share to safe guard
the interest of the company and to escape from the vigilance enquiry
recomended. It will also help to remove all legal barriers to start
the project.Here the KGS company's interest is to start the project
through "short cuts".The airport project is all illegal & never be
allowed,since it is against the public interest.
An airport is essential in central Travancore whether it is in
Aranmuma or elsewhere in Pathanamthitta district for millions of
passengers travelling to Kochi or Trivandrum seven hours before
departure of an international flight. This is a need for the NRIs
remitting billions of rupees to the state and contributing 20% of the
state's GDP. Politicians are making unnecessary hue and cry for an
essential infrastructural need of the people. Pathanamthitta is the
least developed district in Kerala with most people working outside
the district. An airport apart from its usefulness to the millions of
passengers, will also improve activities in the district including
tourism, pilgrimage, employment and overall development. The NRIs
request the chief minister and all the politicians to support this
cause and help the NRIs/NRKs. Since the land is available in Aranmula
and clearances obtained, the project can complete easily and faster.
Kochi& most world cities were built using land optimally.
An airport is essential in central Travancore whether it is in
Aranmula or elsewhere in Pathanamthitta district for millions of
passengers travelling to Kochi or Trivandrum seven hours before
departure of an international flight. This is a need for the NRIs
remitting billions of dollors to the state and contributing 20% of the
state's GDP. Politicians are making unnecessary hue and cry for an
essential infrastructural need of the people. Pathanamthitta is the
least developed district in Kerala with most people working outside
the district. An airport apart from its usefulness to the millions of
passengers, will also improve activities in the district including
tourism, pilgrimage, employment and overall development. The NRIs
request the chief minister and all the politicians to support this
cause and help the NRIs/NRKs. Since the land is available in Aranmula
and clearances obtained, the project can complete easily and faster.
Kochi& most world cities were built using wet land.
It is like Singur Tata Nano car plant controversy, The project was opposed by activists, Tata easily managed to move the project from Bengal to Gujarat, Gujarat gained the entire benefit of it like job opportunities, development of the area etc. I personally know some friends from Singur, they are really regretting now of shifting the plant from Bengal to Gujarat, realized their lost chances, if it happens in Aranmula.. You are the losers.. natives from Aranmula, people from Cochin ,Trivandrum and Aleppy will never lose anything, group who oppose Aranmula airport are just blocking the whole developments which is going to happen related to airport and Pathanamthitta dist’s growth, it’s initial developing stage of this district, it’s a big opening for tourism and job opportunities, helpful for the pilgrims, its realy sad….opportunities will never come again, Can honorable congress leader V.M. Sudhiran provide one another location for the same near by Pathanamthitta?Since it is essential for the people in the central Travancore, for the lakhs of NRIs from this area, thousands who live in the other Indian states, unfortunately people against the Airport don’t have a chance to see beyond India too..
The argument of farms getting converted to commercial land does not hold true in Kerala. Farming had been given up by the Malayalees due to the excessively high labor charges and labor militancy sponsored by the political parties. Every year, grains from thousands of acres of farm in the Kuttanad area gets lost due to negligence by labor class. In the backdrop of this, the hue and cry against Aranmula airport is questionable.
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