Aranmula International Airport
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Aranmula International Airport was an airport project planned to be built at
Aranmula Aranmula is a temple town in the state of Kerala, India. It is known as the cultural capital of Pathanamthitta district, located at a distance of around 116 km from Trivandrum, the capital of Kerala, it is situated on the banks of the ...
, Pathanamthitta district of
Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
in
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, at a cost of . The airport never received the necessary clearances and the project was abandoned. The airport was proposed to be built on about of land. The controversial project faced strong protest from environmentalists and opposition parties of Kerala. After the Supreme Court of India ratified an order of
National Green Tribunal The National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 is an Act of the Parliament of India which enables the creation of a special tribunal to handle the expeditious disposal of the cases pertaining to environmental issues. It draws inspiration from India's ...
verdict declaring the Aranmula Airport Project in violation of environmental requirements, the Government of India withdrew its sanction for the airport, leading to the termination of the project.


History

The Kerala government had provided an in-principle approval for the airport during the
Left Democratic Front The Left Democratic Front (LDF) is an alliance of left-wing political parties in the state of Kerala, India. It is the current ruling political alliance of Kerala, since 2016. It is one of the two major political alliances in Kerala, the oth ...
rule in 2009, with the condition that the promoters procure sufficient land on their own. The Central Government gave the green signal for the proposed airport in October 2012 and the project was estimated to be completed within 18 months. An executive summary of the project including the anticipated environmental impact was prepared by Chennai-based Enviro Care India Pvt. Ltd. and was submitted to the Government of India. However, the Environmental clearance for the project was not granted. The Legislative Assembly Committee on Environmental Affairs chaired by C P Mohammed MLA found the Airport Project "highly detrimental to the environment" The project met with opposition right from its initial stages from leaders of various streams of society including poet-cum-environmentalist
Sugathakumari Sugathakumari (22 January 1934 – 23 December 2020) was an Indian poet and activist, who was at the forefront of environmental and feminist movements in Kerala, South India. Her parents were the poet and freedom fighter Bodheswaran and V. K. ...
and politician V. M. Sudheeran, Hindu Ikya Vedi's Secretary
Kummanam Rajasekharan Kummanam Rajasekharan (born 23 December 1952) is an Indian politician and former governor of Mizoram (2018–2019). He began his political career as an activist of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Sangh Parivar in Kerala in 1970. From 201 ...
. Allegations of discrepancies in awarding clearances through easy processes were raised, adding to the project's controversies. The Communist Party of India leaders like P. Prasad a close aide of
Medha Patkar Medha Patkar née Khanolkar (born 1 December 1954) is an Indian social activist and former Politician working on various crucial political and economic issues raised by tribals, dalits, farmers, labourers and women facing injustice in India. She ...
was also at the forefront of the struggle. They have approached
National Green Tribunal The National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 is an Act of the Parliament of India which enables the creation of a special tribunal to handle the expeditious disposal of the cases pertaining to environmental issues. It draws inspiration from India's ...
against the clearance given by
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is an Indian government ministry. This ministry is headed by Secretary Rank senior most IAS officer. The ministry portfolio is currently held by Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister ...
to KGS Aranmula Airport Ltd to set up an airport. The Kerala State Biodiversity Board submitted a report to the government in March 2013, expressing its reservations over "the land use changes and ecological imbalance that the project will entail." On 2 April 2013, National Green Tribunal Act granted an interim stay on the project banning any construction at the site. It also stayed the Kerala Government's order to convert the 500 acres of land for industrial purposes until further orders. The airport project was given environmental clearance by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, New Delhi on 19 November 2013. The national green tribunal canceled the environmental clearance on 28 May 2014. The promoters failed to overturn this order in the Supreme Court of India which lead to the abandonment of the project.


Status

The project is now abandoned (since 2014).


See also

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Sabarimala Airport Sabarimala Greenfield Airport , also known as Kottayam Airport, Believers' Church Airport or Cheruvally Estate Airport, is a proposed greenfield international airport, which will serve the cities of Kottayam and Alappuzha and the famous pilg ...


References

{{Tourism in Kerala Environmental controversies Aranmula