Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday assured that the land acquisition for Kannur Airport would be completed in a time-bound manner.
A meeting at the Chief Minister’s level has been scheduled this month to discuss the matter in detail with relevant stakeholders, he said.
The CM was responding to a submission by the Opposition Leader V D Satheesan and legislator K V Santhosh.
Calling the land acquisition for Kannur Airport a "serious matter," Vijayan said 1,113.33 acres have already been acquired and handed over to Kannur International Airport Limited (KIAL).
The second phase of acquisition, covering 804.37 acres, is currently in progress, he added.
Additionally, 245.33 acres in Keezhallur Village have been notified for extending the airport’s runway to 4,000 meters.
The Kannur District Collector has submitted a proposal of Rs 900 crore, including Rs 750 crore for runway extension and Rs 150 crore for rehabilitation, which is under government review.
Since there is no provision to allocate alternative land to evictees, the Collector has been instructed to recommend a special compensation package.
For safety reasons, an administrative proposal has been made to acquire 71.85 cents of land belonging to five families adjacent to the land acquired for Category 1 airport lighting, the CM said.
Steps have already been taken to release Rs 4.32 crore for this acquisition, he added.
In addition, an in-principle decision has been made to acquire the land and properties of 14 more families, and the Kannur Collector has been directed to submit a proposal, Vijayan said.
Also, he assured timely action to resolve all issues related to the land acquisition for Kannur Airport.