Kerala to get fifth airport

Thiruvananthapuram (IANS) - The Kerala government Thursday gave the nod to a proposed airport to be built at Aranmula in the state's Pathanamthitta district in which the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (R-ADAG) would
have a 15 per cent holding.

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan said the promoters of the airport can now acquire the land.

"They have to make arrangements for the land on their own and it should be in compliance with the rules," he told reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting.

The airport, named KGS Aranmula Airport, will come up on 500 acres at a cost of Rs.2,000 crore.

P.T. Nandakumar, chief operating officer of the proposed airport, told IANS that site clearance has been obtained from the civil aviation ministry and the Airports Authority of India.

"We have already acquired 350 acres and now with the state government giving us the go ahead, we will soon acquire the remaining land and it would be done complying with the rules," said Nandakumar.

"Now we will start the work and it would be completed in phases."

KGS Aranmula Airport Ltd will be the developer of the greenfield airport project. The company has been registered under the Companies Act, 1956 by KGS Developers Ltd in association with ADAG, Aranmula Aviation and Abraham Kalamannil.

The promoters are K. Kumaran, Gigi George, a chartered accountant, and P.V. Sanmugam, who is into real estate business in Chennai. They hold 51 per cent stake in the project, while ADAG has 15 per cent and Aranmula Aviation and Abraham Kalamannil 30 per cent. The Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation is likely to hold three percent.

The promoters also plan to give shares to interested non-resident Keralites.

When completed, the airport would be the fifth airport in the state. The airports in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode are in operation. A fourth one at Kannur is expected to begin work later this year.

This airport would cater to the non-resident Keralites who hail from Pathanamthitta and the neighbouring districts, and those visiting Sabarimala on pilgrimage.