World | India
Kerala to expedite Kannur airport plan
The hopes of thousands of Keralite expatriates, particularly those from the Malabar region, have been rekindled with Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan stating in the assembly yesterday that the government would expedite the Kannur international airport project.
- By Akhel Mathew, Correspondent
- Published: 00:00 October 27, 2006
Thiruvananthapuram: The hopes of thousands of Keralite expatriates, particularly those from the Malabar region, have been rekindled with Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan stating in the assembly yesterday that the government would expedite the Kannur international airport project.
When established, the Kannur airport will be the fourth international airport in the state after Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Nedumbassery near Kochi.
The Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) near Kochi is also India's first joint sector airport, and has been a successful venture within a few years of operations.
Achuthanandan informed the assembly that a special office had been appointed for the Kannur airport project and that the central and state governments were keen to expedite the project. The airport is proposed to come up at Moorkanparambu near Kannur and land acquisition for the project is expected to commence soon.
Following the success of the CIAL project, the Kannur airport is also proposed to be set up with a public-private partnership.
A cabinet sub-committee had approved the Kannur airport project during the tenure of the previous United Democratic Front government. The then chief minister Oommen Chandy had said the Kannur airport project may involve an outlay of over Rs9 billion and that the government planned to hold 26 per cent equity stake in the project.
The Kannur airport is expected to be a key infrastructure for the entire Malabar region, where the lack of quality infrastructure has hindered development over the years.
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