Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has said that the State Government would continue to support the Aranmula airport project in which it has 10 per cent stake.

Speaking to newspersons here, he chose to brush aside opposition to the project and a memorandum was addressed to the Prime Minister by 72 members of the State Assembly.

He agreed that six among them were from the ruling Congress-led United Democratic Front but defended their right to express an independent view in the matter.  

But he countered by saying that members of the Left Democratic Front, whose Government had given all clearances to the project, were also among the signatories.

Thousands of acres of land had been frozen for the project by the previous Government. These would now be de-notified, Chandy said, reiterating that the Government would not allow even an inch land to be acquired further for the project.

Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court had yesterday extended by two weeks the stay on construction work of the airport project.

The court issued the order when a petition filed by the Aranmula Heritage Action Council, represented by Kummanam Rajasekharan, came up for hearing.

Rajasekharan had argued that the construction would adversely affect the ecology of the area. vinson.kurian@thehindu.co.in

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