Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said that the government will continue to support the Aranmula airport project.
The Chief Minister brushed aside the opposition to the project and memorandum given by 72 members of the Assembly, including six from the United Democratic Front (UDF), to the Prime Minister against the project, saying that they included members of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) which had given all the clearance for the project when in power.
Mr. Chandy told the media here on Wednesday that the present government was trying to rectify the wrong things done by the previous government. All the clearances for the project were given by the previous government. Thousands of acres of land were frozen for the project. These would be de-notified.
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The government, he said, would not acquire any land for the project. However, the government land available at the site would be made available for the project at the present market value.
He said the paddy field in question had already been filled up. Whatever environmental damage the project would cause had already occurred. The government would not permit filling up of any more land other than that for the runway.