THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State Government is planning to modify the rehabilitation package connected to Phase II development of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. The government has instructed Additional Chief Secretary T Balakrishnan and Thiruvananthapuram District Collector P M Francis to effect the necessary modifications. The decision came at a meeting convened by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to review the progress of development work at two airports, including Thiruvananthapuram and the one proposed at Kannur. Later, briefing the media on the decisions, Excise Minister K Babu, who handles the airports portfolio, said close to 500 families will have to be evicted for Phase II development of the airport. ‘’In all, we have to acquire 82 acres for Phase II. This will require the government to evict close to 500 families. We have identified land at Muttathara for rehabilitating them. The current proposal is to construct flats and accommodate them there,’’ he said. The Minister also said that the government did not have a positive schedule for the land acquisition. ‘’We have no time-bound plan as such. There is a lot of opposition to the takeover of land in the locality. Land acquisition will be carried out only after sorting out such issues,’’ he said. ‘’Monday’s meeting has entrusted the job of modifying the rehabilitation package with the District Collector and the Additional Chief Secretary T Balakrishnan,’’ he added. As part of the proposed development, a coconut nursery belonging to the Thiruvananthapuram District Panchayat situated on 39 cents will be shifted elsewhere. There are also issues to be sorted out before the State Government can construct apartments in the area for resettling the evicted families. A clearance from the Civil Aviation Ministry is required due to the proximity to the airport. They have raised some objections, the Minister said. The land identified for takeover has two temples. One will be shifted elsewhere, but the second will be preserved, Babu said. ‘’When shifting the temple, we will do so without hurting the devotees’ feelings. The second temple will be preserved inside the proposed airport campus,’’ he said. Steps are also being taken to shift an old-age home in the locality to another place, the Minister said. Ministers P K Kunhalikutty, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, P K Abdu Rabb, MLAs and officials of the Airports Authority of India, Air India and the Thiruvananthapuram Airport were present at the meeting.
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