Sabarimala Airport Takes Stride Forward: Kerala Government Approves Acquisition Of 2,570 Acres

The Sabarimala Greenfield Airport is getting closer to becoming a reality as the Kerala government has given the green light to acquire 2,570 acres of land in the Kottayam district. The State Revenue Minister, K Rajan, shared this decision recently.

According to officials, this will allow the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation Limited, the project proponent, to plan and design an environmental impact assessment and provide a format and structure for the project.

Sabarimala International Airport will be located in Erumeli South and Manimala villages near Sabarimala temple, in the Kottayam district of Kerala.

The project's anticipated cost is Rs 3,900 crore, which includes Rs 260 crore for land and Rs 3,400 crore for capital expenditure.

The Sabarimala temple is part of the Western Ghats and is one of India's holiest shrines. Currently, the hill shrine can only be reached by road. The temple receives nearly 50 million pilgrims each season. Hence, the airport is considered a solution to ease traffic during the pilgrimage season.

Rajan highlighted that the move to proceed with land acquisition was based on the recommendations of an expert committee, which thoroughly examined the social impact study report.

The choice of the specific land for the project took into account factors such as public demand, the minimum land requirement, and the absence of other viable land options.

The state government received confirmation from the Union Ministry of Forests, Environment, and Climate Change, affirming the suitability of the identified land for the airport project.

In a statement, Rajan explained that the government is now actively taking steps to acquire the designated land for the Sabarimala airport. According to the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation Act, 2013, a preliminary notification under section 11(1) must be issued within one year of the expert committee's recommendations on the social impact assessment report.

With the committee's recommendations submitted on 22 August 2023, the preliminary notification for land acquisition is expected to be issued in August 2024.

Rajan outlined the process, stating that after confirming land records, a land survey would commence, followed by the issuance of the final notification, reports Economic Times.

Longest Runway

The proposed Sabarimala airport would have the longest runway of Kerala’s four international airports (Thiruvananthapuram, Calicut, Cochin, and Kannur).

The runway at the proposed Sabarimala airport will be 3,500 metres long, and 45 metres wide, and will have 7.5-metre off-shoulders on both sides.

Whereas the current runways in Thiruvananthapuram and Cochin are each 3,400 metres long, Calicut's is 2,860 metres long and Kannur Airport's runway is 3,050 metres long, with room to expand to 4,000 metres.