The now-on, now-off international airport planned to be built at Aranmula in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta district with State Government’s backing seems to be doomed, with the Union Civil Aviation Ministry on Wednesday denying permission to the project under pressure from the BJP and the Hindu Aikya Vedi in the State.
Earlier, the Defence Ministry had denied its no-objection for the airport that would have served Sabarimala pilgrims as well as Keralites living and working abroad, mainly in the US. Environment and Forest Minister Prakash Javedkar on Tuesday said at Palakkad that the Modi Government had never favoured the project. The Environment Ministry had earlier given permission to the airport builders, the Chennai-based KGS Group, to carry out environmental impact study. This was cancelled by the Chennai bench of the Green Tribunal and the decision was later upheld by the Supreme Court.
The Hindu Aikya Vedi and the BJP have strongly opposed the project on the plea that it would violate the sanctity of the Aranmula Sri Parthasarathy temple and the cultural heritage status of the nearby village. Environmental organisations, too, had opposed it. The campaign against the airport had won several votes for the BJP candidate in the last Lok Sabha election from the Aranmula segment of the Pathanamthitta constituency.
However, when the Modi government came to power, instead of rejecting the project it was put on the Prime Minister’s priority list of 15 airports to be built in the country. The BJP, which is hoping to make good performance in the upcoming municipal elections and next year’s Assembly election, lobbied hard with the Central government to kick out the project.
The ₹2,000-crore airport, if permitted, would have been the fifth international airport in Kerala following Kannur which is slated to be commissioned mid-2016. The Oommen Chandy government had supported the project with material and land contributions.
Interestingly, the project had a way of springing back from near-death over its tortuous existence.