The airport is planned to be built on about 700 acres of land at a cost of INR2000 crore (US$310 million). It will cater to wide body aircraft like the Boeing 747 with a runway length of 3,100 x 45 meters with PCN 45 F/B/W/T. The terminal building is being designed to handle 1,000 passengers at a time.[4] The company plans to have a Special Economic Zone, a multi-specialty hospital, a shopping mall (either Lulu or Phoenix Market City), a luxury hotel and an international school within the airport complex. The airport, which is less than 100 km from Cochin International Airport and Thiruvanananthapuram International Airport, is expected to serve four districts in Kerala state, namely Pathanamthitta, and some areas of Kottayam, Idukki and Alappuzha
The project is being funded through equity and debt. The equity portion accounts for around Rs 10 billion. The debt-equity ratio is 1:1. Three banks including ICICI, IDBI Bank and SBI have funded the debt portion.The Kerala government has a 10% stake in the company and has nominated one member to the board of the company, while the Government owned oil company Indian Oil Corporation is negotiating to pick up a 10% stake.[5] The first phase of the project is expected to cost Rs 7.50 billion.
The Kerala government had sanctioned an in principle approval for the airport during the Left Democratic Front regime in 2009, demanding that the promoters procure sufficient land on their own. However, the Central Government gave the green signal for the proposed airport in October 2012 and the project was estimated to be completed within 18 months. An executive summary of the project including the anticipated environmental impact was prepared by Chennai based Enviro Care India Pvt. Ltd and was submitted to the Government of India. However, the Environmental clearance for the project has not been granted yet.
The Legislative Assembly Committee on Environmental Affairs chaired by C P Mohammed MLA found the Airport Project "highly detrimental to the environment"[12][13] The Project met with opposition right from its initial stages from leaders of various streams of society including Social Worker Kummanam Rajasekharan, Poetess-cum-Environmentalist Sugathakumari and Politician V. M. Sudheeran.[14] Allegations of discrepancies in awarding clearances through easy processes have been raised, adding to the project's controversies. The agitations are being led by members of the Paithruka Grama Karmasamithy.
The Kerala State Biodiversity Board submitted a report to the government in March 2013, expressing its reservations over "the land use changes and ecological imbalance that the project will entail"[15] The Board observed that 80% of the 500 acres earmarked for the project were paddy fields. Conversion of a portion of the 3,500-acre paddy field would "impact on the remaining wetlands, disturb the food chain, and accelerate the depletion of fish resources as well as other flora and fauna in the Pamba river basin."
The runway is being constructed over the Kozhithode canal, which is a tributary of the Pamba river. Several species of fish migrate upstream from the river through the canals to the water-logged paddy fields. Reclamation of these wetlands would deprive the fish of their breeding grounds. Razing hills in the neighbourhood for soil to reclaim the fields could lead to biodiversity loss and water shortage. The Board warned the government of water scarcity and flooding in the areas neighbouring the project site if paddy fields and water bodies were converted for the construction of the airport.
The Board recommended a series of conservation programmes to ensure that the airport project did not impact on the biodiversity of the region. It cautioned against filling up of canals within the project site and also recommended a massive afforestation campaign to create a green belt around the airport and the hills that were razed for soil. The report has suggested that the promoters take the onus to supply drinking water in the parched areas in the vicinity and has highlighted the need for a rainwater harvesting system at the airport.
National Green Tribunal Stay[edit]
On 2 April 2013, The National Green Tribunal granted an interim stay on the project banning any construction at the site. It also stayed the Kerala Government's order to convert the 500 acres of land for industrial purpose until further orders.[16] The Tribunal set aside its order on 30 April 2013, dismissing the petition filed by the Aranmula Heritage Village Protection Action Council challenging various decisions related to the project including industrial area notification for the project and the no-objection certificate given by the Kerala Government.
The Tribunal had pronounced the stay in response to a petition that stated that the construction of the airport was in violation of the provisions of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy and Wet Land Act, 2008, the Kerala Land Reforms Act, 1963 the Environment Protection Act, 1986 and the Land Acquisition Act. The petition stated that the No Objection Certificates and Permissions were obtained by misrepresentation of facts and that clearance was obtained on the grounds that there was no paddy cultivation for the past 10 ten years, while the State Government and local bodies have been distributing funds during the last 10 years for paddy cultivation in all areas except those where water-logging had occurred across the wet lands and paddy fields. It also stated that the proposed area of 500 Acres notified to be acquired for the construction of Airport. contains expanses of paddy fields and wet lands which were to be preserved by the State Government.
The airport project was given environmental clearance by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, New Delhi on November 19, 2013.
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