Kerala government not to cooperate with aiport project

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress-led UDF government will not be "cooperating" in the proposed private international airport project at Aranmula, the work on which had been stopped by the Southern bench of the National Green Tribunal, a Kerala minister said today.

Kerala government, which had a 10 per cent stake in the controversial Rs 2,000-crore project touted as the country's first private greenfield aiport, has also no plan to appeal against the Tribunal order, Minister for Forest and Transport Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said during question hour in the Assmebly.

"As there was legal bar on the construction of the airport, the question of cooperating with the project does not arise," he said.

He was replying to a question whether the government has any intention to collaborate in the project after the Green Tribunal cancelled environmental clearance.

The minister said there was no report that suggested that the company has violated the directives of the Tribunal.

KPCC President V M Sudheeran had opposed the project from the very start and had even extended support to the Aranmula Heritage Village Protection Committee, which spearheaded an agitation against the project at Pathanamthitta district alleging that the airport would destroy the environment.

The National Green Tribunal had on May 28 set aside the environmental clearance given by the previous UPA government to the project and directed the KGS Aranmula International Airport Ltd, the promoters of the project, to stop the construction work at the site on a petition filed by Aranmula Heritage Village Protection Action Council.

The project also faced stiff resistance from the devotees of Sri Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple who said the airport would cause structural damage to the temple and cause several environmental hazards.