Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday that the government has identified land for an airport at Erumely in Kottayam, enroute to Pathanamthitta.
While speaking to journalists in New Delhi after meeting Union Minister for Aviation Ashok Gajapathi Raju, Pinarayi said that the airport will ease the troubles of devotees flocking to the famed Sabarimala shrine located in Pathanamthitta.
Erumely is a major halting spot for the Sabarimala pilgrims.
“We have briefed the Union Aviation Minister about the land identified for the purpose. The project will be finalized after detailed discussions in Kerala,” the CM remarked.
According to Pinarayi, the Union Minister has assured that a No Objection Certificate (NOC) will be issued, once the land is finalized. The CM is reportedly planning to officially inform the Centre in writing about the same at the earliest.
The Kerala Chief Minister is also said to have discussed the proposed expansion of the runways at the Calicut International airport at Karipur in Kozhikode with the Union Minister.
"Wide-bodied aircrafts that earlier landed at the Calicut airport have not been allowed to do so for the last couple of months, a matter of grave concern. The Centre had cited that the runway was inadequate for this purpose. The state has put forth the demand that wide-bodied aircrafts be allowed to land at the airport, once the expansion of runways is completed," he said.
The CM added that he has assured the Centre that the state government would acquire enough land to complete the said expansion according to the given guidelines.