Sabarimala Airport
History
The Sabarimala temple, situated on the Western Ghats in Kerala's Pathanamthitta district and is one of India's holiest shrines, which attracts nearly around 50 million visitors each season. As of December 2019, an average of 75,000 pilgrims visit Sabarimala on a daily basis ever since the beginning of the annual pilgrim season in mid-November. Presently, the only way to reach the hill shrine is by road. The increase in the number of pilgrims visiting the temple had prompted the government to look at an airport as an option to reduce traffic congestion during the pilgrimage season. In view of this, in February 2017, the Government of Kerala gave in-principle approval to construct the airport, and the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) was asked to conduct a feasibility study.
KSIDC had issued global tenders for the feasibility study of the project. The tender was won by the American consultancy firm, Louis Berger Group. Louis Berger submitted a techno-economic feasibility study and environmental impact assessment of the proposed greenfield airport in December 2018. However, the consultancy did not conduct the environment impact assessment (EIA) as the state had not taken a final decision on the project including that of land acquisition. In 2019, the state government constituted a search committee to select a special officer for the project, who would be given the task of coordinating with the consultancy in acquiring environment impact clearances and for the union civil aviation ministry’s approval for the project. In December 2019, the state government appointed V. Thulasidas, the managing director of Kannur International Airport Ltd. (KIAL) as the special officer for the project. In April 2023, after a long delayed and complicated process as mentioned above, the project got approval from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and preparation of the project's Detailed Project Report (DPR) is expected to begin within a month.
Ownership
The site for the proposed airport is nearby the Cheruvally Estate, which was formerly the site of a rubber plantation. Initially, the estate belonged to Harrison Plantations and later by the RPG Goenka group. Gospel for Asia, a Christian missionary organization under Believers Eastern Church took it over from the Goenka group. The ownership of the property was disputed in 2017 before the High Court of Kerala claiming that the Estate was government land. A 2018 High Court order affirmed the church's ownership of the estate.
Project timeline
- February 2017: The Government of Kerala gives an in-principle approval to construct the airport, and the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) has been appointed to conduct a feasibility study.
- December 2018: After the KSIDC issued global tenders for the feasibility study of the project, it was won by the American consultancy firm, Louis Berger Group. It then submitted a techno-economic feasibility study and environmental impact assessment of the project.
- August 2019: The Government of Kerala constituted a search committee to select a special officer for the project, who would be given the task of coordinating with the consultancy in acquiring environment impact clearances and for the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s approval for the project.
- December 2019: The Government of Kerala appointed V. Thulasidas, the managing director of Kannur International Airport Ltd. (KIAL) as the special officer for the project.
- April 2023: The project got approval from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and preparation of the project's Detailed Project Report (DPR) is expected to begin within a month.
- February 2024: The Kerala government on Thursday said in the Assembly that the Central government has granted site and defence clearance for the Sabarimala Greenfield Airport Project.