Village Action Council vows to disrupt Aranmula airport work

Construction work for a proposed airport at Aranmula by a private group has run into trouble with the local Village Action Council announcing that it would disrupt such work.

Thiruvananthapuram: Construction work for a proposed airport at Aranmula in Pathanamthitta district by a private group has run into trouble with the local Village Action Council announcing that it would disrupt any such work.

Aranmula, which had been declared as a heritage village by the Centre and United Nations Development Programme, would cease to exist if the project came up, The Aranmula Heritage Village Action Council patron Kummanam Rajasekharan said. He claimed that the plan of the KGS group, promoters of the private airport project, was to develop an aerotropolis centring the airport for which at least 3,000 acres would be required. "This will not be allowed by people of Aranmula. We will disrupt the construction work if it is started this month as announced by KGS group," Rajasekharan said, adding the construction would sound the death-knell for the culture and heritage of the ancient village. He alleged the state government had acted in haste to accord sanction to the project. As per an RTI reply the Council had received, the Centre had not yet given `in-principle` approval to the airport project. No environmental impact study was conducted by any government agency and the objections raised by Assembly committee on environment was overlooked, he said. The reports prepared by the company`s own consultants were taken as the final word, he alleged. Rajasekharan said the people had no other way but to resort to a confrontationist approach if the work starts this month. All those opposed to the project would be brought together and a meeting would soon be convened to chalk out future course of action. Any construction work would be disrupted with the support of all parties against the `anti-people` project, he added. He challenged Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to reveal the clearance obtained by the KGS company from the Centre and announce the area of land demarcated for the project. The state government had last week given sanction for the project and decided to hold 10 per cent shares in the company to be formed for the airport. PTI