Kerala High Court Cancels Land Acquisition for Sabarimala Greenfield Airport
Ernakulam: The Kerala High Court has cancelled the government notifications and related reports issued for acquiring land at Cheruvally Estate and nearby areas for the proposed Sabarimala Greenfield Airport. The court said the government failed to scientifically justify the need to acquire 2,570 acres of land for the project.
The court observed that, according to the Airport Authority of India, even airports that handle large aircraft require only about 1,200 acres of land. Under the Land Acquisition Act of 2013, land acquired for any project must be limited to the minimum area strictly required. However, in this case, the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) Unit, the Expert Committee, and the government could not clearly explain why such a large extent of land was necessary.
The court rejected the government’s argument that the land was needed for future development. It noted that the reports did not clearly specify what kind of development was planned or how much land would be required for it.
As a result, the court cancelled the portions of the Social Impact Assessment report, the Expert Committee report, and the government order related to the extent of land acquisition. The preliminary notification issued based on these documents was also set aside.
The High Court directed the government to conduct a fresh Social Impact Assessment to determine the exact bare minimum land required for the project. It also ordered that the study team should include experts with technical knowledge of major infrastructure projects such as airports and dams.