Sabarimala Greenfield Airport: State Government Appeal to Be Heard on July 15
Kochi: A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court will hear on July 15 the state government's appeal against a single bench order that quashed the notification for land acquisition for the proposed Sabarimala Greenfield Airport project.
The High Court had, in December last year, set aside the notification to acquire 2,570 acres of land, citing the government's failure to clearly explain the necessity for acquiring such an extensive area.
The appeal, filed by the then Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, is now set to come up for consideration.
The state had envisioned an airport integrated with a township, which required additional land. Consequently, it decided to acquire 2,570 acres spread across the Erumeli and Manimala villages.
Meanwhile, the state government's claim over the ownership of the Cheruvally Estate, where the airport is proposed to be built, was rejected by the Pala Sub Court. The government has challenged that ruling before the High Court. The case concerns ownership rights over nearly 2,500 acres currently under the possession of the Ayana Charitable Trust of the Believers’ Eastern Church.
Environmental and social impact assessments required ahead of the airport project have already been completed. However, the report submitted to the Union Ministry of Environment is yet to receive approval. The project has also not obtained clearance from the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Sources indicate that pending legal disputes over the land ownership have contributed to the delay in securing the necessary approvals.
Officials, however, maintain that the ownership dispute with Ayana Charitable Trust will not impede the airport project. Under land acquisition laws, the government can acquire land for development purposes irrespective of ownership disputes. If compensation is deposited in court, construction activities may proceed. Should the courts eventually rule in favour of the trust, the deposited amount would be transferred to it.
The LDF government had initiated steps to complete the airport by 2031. However, following the change in administration, the new United Democratic Front (UDF) government's budget did not include any specific announcement regarding the project.