The Aranmula Heritage Village Action Council (AHVAC) has called for a detailed probe into the alleged corruption behind the Defence Ministry’s grant of no-objection certificate (NOC) to the proposed airport project during UDF’s tenure at the Centre.
Such an inquiry was badly needed to expose the unholy deals behind the sanctioning of the clearance, which was once denied by the same Ministry, AHVAC general convener P.R. Shaji said.
Mr. Shaji welcomed the current order of the Ministry withdrawing the NOC given to the airport project on Friday. The order was issued, after conducting a detailed official inquiry into the whole matter, on the basis of a petition filed by action council chief patron Kummanam Rajashekharan before Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, he said. There was every reason to suspect corruption in the move of the former Defence Ministry to first reject the application from the KGS company for NOC and later grant the sanction, Mr. Shaji said. He also sought clarification from Mr Antony on the NOC issue as well as the violation of various key laws in Aranmula in the name of the controversial airport project. Mr Shaji said the Ministry of Civil Aviation had also informed the action council that the clearance granted for the proposed Aranmula Greenfield Airport project too would be cancelled.
He called upon the State government to withdraw the industrial area notification and initiate steps to revive paddy cultivation. Mr. Shaji said the District Collector should comply with the High Court order to restore Karimaramthodu.
