THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP state president V Muralidharan on Saturday said that with the cancellation of the Defence Ministry’s clearance granted to the Aranmula airport, the project has received a big blow and it will no longer be a reality. He told mediapersons here that it was the Defence Ministry under the UPA Government which that granted the clearance.
Even the UPA Government was initially reluctant to give the NoC for the airport as it had violated all norms. It was at the behest of A K Antony as Defence minister that the NoC was later granted. ‘’As the Environment Ministry and the Defence Ministry have cancelled the clearances, the clearance granted by the Civil Aviation Ministry will not be relevant as its clearance was based on the first two clearances,’’ he said.
However, he said that the State BJP was asking the Civil Aviation Ministry to formally cancel the permission granted to the airport.