THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It's official. True to its election manifesto, the Left Government in Kerala on Wednesday decided to cancel all clearances issued to Aranmula International Airport project.
In the Cabinet meeting, every government order related to the project has been cancelled, thus bringing an end to the project, which had been mired in various controversies. The in-principle nod given to the project by the previous UDF Government was scrapped, as was the government's earlier decision to take share in
the project and grant industrial status to about 350 acres at the project's site.
Prior to the polls, the LDF had declared that, if elected, it would not go ahead with the Aranmula airport project, which had kicked up a major controversy here during the previous Oommen Chandy regime.
After coming to power, the Pinarayi Government had even initiated steps to cultivate the land. A couple of
weeks back, the CM, along with Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar, launched paddy cultivation at Aranmula.
And, in his recent meeting with the Union Aviation Minister in New Delhi, Pinarayi had informed the minister that the state government has identified land for setting up an airport at Erumeli, indicating that the Aranmula airport project would not take off.