The Ecologically Sensitive Zone of the Periyar Tiger Reserve falls outside the 10 km radius of the proposed airport project.
Published Dec 21, 2023 | 6:23 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 21, 2023 | 6:23 PM
The land for the propsed airport is expected to be acquired from Manimala and Erumeli villages. (Google Earth)
The Sabarimala Greenfield Airport took a step closer to becoming a reality as the Kerala government issued an order to proceed with the acquisition of 2,570 acres of land in Kottayam district for this ambitious project.
The airport is being developed on land in Erumeli South and Manimala villages.
State Revenue Minister K Rajan said, on Tuesday, 19 December, that the decision to proceed with the land acquisition process was made based on the recommendations of an expert committee that examined the social impact study report.
The minister said the choice to develop the project on the specified land was reached after considering public demand, the minimum land requirement for the project, and the unavailability of other suitable land options.
The state government has received confirmation from the Union Ministry of Forests, Environment and Climate Change that the identified land is deemed suitable for the airport, he said in a statement in Thiruvananthapuram.
Consequently, the government is taking steps to acquire this land for the project, Rajan added.
According to the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Act, 2013, the preliminary notification under Section 11(1) is required to be issued within one year from the date of submission of recommendations by the expert committee on the social impact assessment report.
The expert committee submitted its recommendations on 22 August 2023. According to it, the preliminary notification of land acquisition can be issued in August 2024 itself.
“For this, the land records of the landowners should be checked and confirmed. After inspecting the land records, the land survey will commence. Following that, the final notification will be issued,” he said.
Rajan said all the steps for the Sabarimala airport will be completed in a speedy and timely manner.
The realisation of this airport is a result of the will of the Left Democratic Front, he added.
In June 2023, the Kerala government’s proposal to develop a ₹3,411 crore greenfield Sabarimala International Airport in Kottayam district received a shot in the arm with a Union Environment Ministry panel recommending it for the grant of standard Terms of Reference (TOR) for airports.
“The EAC observed that the proposed site appears to be the best alternative among the sites examined and recommended the proposal for the grant of standard TOR for airports,” a source told PTI. The project is expected to provide employment to 600 people in the operation phase.
The KSIDC and its consultant made a detailed presentation before the EAC on the three alternative sites they had considered for developing the project, which is being planned mainly to serve the pilgrims of the famous Lord Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala and additionally provide a fillip to tourism and local economies of the Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, and Idukki districts.
The Ecologically Sensitive Zone of the Periyar Tiger Reserve falls outside the 10 km radius of the proposed airport project.
A draft of the Social Impact Assessment of Land Acquisition recommended mitigation and compensation of the possible negative impacts of the proposed land acquisition from Erumeli South and Manimala villages of Kottayam district for the construction of the greenfield airport.
It had found that the acquisition of land for the airport could result in the displacement of local communities, including farmers and other landowners, and this could lead to the loss of livelihoods and social disruption, as well as the potential loss of cultural heritage and traditions associated with the affected communities.
The study further said that the acquisition of land for the airport could lead to the loss of property rights of local communities. This could have significant social and economic impacts, particularly for marginalised or vulnerable groups that may be less able to assert their rights.
Considering this, the study has recommended compensation for the project affecting land owners as per the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement Act 2013 and as per the 2015 rules framed by Kerala, besides resettlement procedures issued by the Kerala Revenue Department in 2015 and 2017.
Though green pilgrimage is being promoted, the problem with Sabarimala is that it could not be implemented in toto.
“The pilgrim inflow demands the enhancement of basic amenities such as transportation, comfort stations, medical care, waste management, lodges, etc. All these will influence the environment negatively,” VK Madhusoodanan, an environmental activist, earlier told South First.
“Being a temple that often registers record revenue collections, the government cannot ignore the need for increasing basic amenities or new facilities like the greenfield airport project near Erumely in the Kottayam district,” he added.
Joice K Joseph, who co-authored a 2016 study, Pilgrim Governance, and Environmental Sustainability: A Case Study of Sabarimala Pilgrim Destination, told South First that the pilgrimage has been disturbing the forests.
(with PTI inputs)
