Thiruvananthapuram: The environmental clearance granted to the Aranmula Airport is only for the bare needs of an airport and not for the ‘aeropolis’ as claimed by the KGS Group.
Also, the promoters have already violated a major condition by levelling the project site area far beyond the permissible limit. If at all the promoters want to expand the project , the clearance says that it will be considered only after another environment impact assessment.
The KGS Group can include “other related facilities” in their master plan. “But such other facilities shall be considered by the competent authority only after a cumulative environment impact assessment is carried out,” the clearance granted on November 18 states.
Group MD Gigi George said that the airport was being developed as an ‘aeropolis.’ “This aeropolis is being developed along with SEZ, multi-speciality hospital, shopping mall, star hotels and an international school,” he said.
The present clearance is for a plot of 500 acres which will cater to Airbus A–300 aircraft. Experts say that 500 acres is enough for a runway of the size 2,800 metres x 45 metres and a terminal building that will expand up to 15,000 square metres by phase II of the project.
But for an aeropolis, a top official said the promoters would require at least 3,000 acres. Landfilling is allowed only in areas required for runway, apron and taxiway. The other areas should be preserved in its natural form.
Tthe areas that are to be levelled for airport uses should be filled only up to a height of one metre. But the KGS Group, after the EC was granted, had stated that the prime, fully-developed land was ready for airport operations.
While the group MD said that the 'EC’ had laid down only three conditions, the reality is that the clearance was subject to 20 conditions.
