Idukki: Rs 13 crore airstrip falls short, hill to make way
KOCHI: The forest department has allowed the NCC directorate and the PWD to change the alignment of the airstrip at Satram in Idukki — completed at an expense of Rs 13 crore — and raze a hill adjacent to the runway.
The airstrip was constructed in an ecologically sensitive area, grossly violating the conservation laws. It stands close to the boundary of the Periyar Tiger Reserve, which is one of the 39 serial sites of the Western Ghats, notified as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.
While the government had planned the airstrip’s inauguration in May, coinciding with the first anniversary of the second Pinarayi Vijayan government, the NCC realised the practical difficulty in operating flights only after completing its work. Permission was sought to raze the hill citing poor visibility.
Airstrip: State ignored guidance manual
As per the guidance manual for airports, all projects within 10km from protected areas need prior environment clearance from the the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. However, Kerala ignored this clause and is attempting fait accompli clearance (seeking clearance after completing the project claiming it is irreversible).
On April 29, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had informed the Kerala High Court that clearance from the standing committee of National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) was mandatory for proposals involving development activities within 10km from a wildlife sanctuary. The Sathram airstrip is located just 400m away from the forest land. The mahazar prepared by Kottayam DFO N Rajesh on April 21, a copy of which has been accessed by TNIE, says the land was handed over to NCC directorate as per the decision of a meeting presided over by Forest Minister AK Saseendran on March 15, 2022. It says the sketch for the new alignment was prepared by Peermade taluk surveyor on December 21, 2021. The NCC and the PWD should restore the land originally allocated for the airstrip to its natural state and hand it over to forest department before July 31, 2022.
A two-seater aircraft had tried to land on the airstrip on April 8. However, it returned after repeated attempts as the hill abutting the airstrip was posing a threat. Following this, the additional director general of NCC wrote to the forest department on April 20 seeking permission to realign the airstrip. The minutes of the meeting proves the decision to hand over forest land was taken much before the NCC aircraft attempted landing.