KOTTAYAM : After revoking the initial notification for acquiring land for the Sabarimala International Greenfield Airport in Erumeli with the intervention of the High Court, the state government has now resumed land acquisition proceedings, by issuing a fresh notification for the social impact assessment (SIA) for the project.
The notification, issued under sub-section 1 of section 4 of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (LARRA), states that the Social Impact Unit, specifically the Bharata Mata School of Social Work at the Bharata Mata College in Thrikkakara, Ernakulam, has been authorised to conduct the social impact assessment study and prepare a plan as required by the Act. The report should be submitted within three months of the notification.
The initial notification for land acquisition was repealed after the Ayana Charitable Trust (formerly Gospel for Asia of K P Yohannan’s Believers’ Church) and a few residents, whose land would be acquired, challenged the SIA study conducted by the Centre for Management Development, which has close ties with the Industries Department. According to the rules, the agency conducting the SIA should not have any connections with the firm implementing the project.
The notification for land acquisition, in accordance with the provisions of the LARR Act, can only be issued after the completion of the SIA proceedings. The previous notification on March 13 stated that 1000.28 hectares (2471.74 acres) would be acquired for the project. Of this land, 855.83 hectares (2114.80 acres) are located in the Cheruvally Estate, currently owned by Ayana Charitable Trust. It is anticipated that the extent of land required for the project will remain unchanged. However, the government has added some land in three more survey numbers, which were missed from the previous notifications. Following the new notification for land acquisition, the government will conduct an official survey of the land as per section 12 and prepare a file detailing the precise extent of land to be acquired, along with its survey numbers.
Subsequently, a rehabilitation and resettlement (RR) package will be declared, as per the guidelines outlined in section 19 (1) of the LARR Act.
Simultaneously, the government will proceed with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process. A draft EIA report on the environmental impact of the airport project is expected to be published soon.