KOCHI: Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar on Saturday said the government had not given environmental clearance for the proposed airport project at Aranmula.
Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Javadekar said it was the UPA Government that gave clearance for the project, which was later cancelled by the present government.
“There are three steps for availing environmental clearance, and the airport project has not cleared even the first step. Its proponents have once again approached the government for clearance, and the government very well knows what to do with it,” he said.
Responding to questions on the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) norms, the Minister said the government was well aware of the concerns of the people, and would give due consideration to them. An expert committee has been constituted to look into the issues, while ensuring steps to protect the coast.
Later, at the function held to launch three welfare schemes of the Central Government, Minister for Excise and Fisheries K Babu raised the issue of the CRZ. He said the Central Government should expedite the submission of report by the expert committee formed to study the CRZ norms. In his reply, Javadekar assured that the Central Government had a ‘development-first’ policy, and that it would consider the issues raised by the State Government. “It is a PM-CM team (Prime Minister and Chief Minister). We want to take everybody along,” he added.
‘We Will Go Ahead with Project’
Pathanamthitta: KGS Aranmula International Airport managing director Jiji George has said that the company would go ahead with the airport project. Addressing a news conference here on Saturday, Jiji George said he was not aware of the cancellation of the approval given by the Defence Ministry.