ARANMULA REPORT FLAWED, COURT TOLD

The Kerala High Court was informed by the Advocate Commissioner on Monday that a project report submitted by KGS Aranmula International Airport Limited, promoter of the proposed Aranmula greenfield airport, did not reflect the actual state of affairs and that it had been prepared by incorporating various other reports.

In an additional affidavit, the court-appointed Advocate Commissioner S. Subash Chand said the report had incorporated portions of an obstacle survey report. However, many important points mentioned in the obstacle survey report, including suggestions regarding lighting of golden flag mast of the Aranmula Sree Parthasarathi temple during day and night, had been omitted.

The court appointed the Advocate Commissioner in a suo motu proceeding initiated on the basis of a report of the Ombudsman for Travancore and Cochin Devaswom Boards on the adverse impact of the proposed airport on the temple. The additional report said that the State government had not so far issued any NOC and only an in-principle permission had been granted. Similarly, clearances from the Kerala State Pollution Control Board and the local self-government institutions concerned had not been produced. In fact, the project report had been disowned by KITCO.The airport company had prepared a project report based on the report on the financial feasibility of the project by KITCO and the obstacle study by Aero Survey India.

The additional report also pointed out that the Tantri of the Sree Parthasarathi temple, Akeeraman Kalidasan Bhattathirippad, had made it clear in a letter that it was impermissible either to reduce the height of the temple flag mast or to light the same at any time.

The Tantri had also condemned the suggestion for displacement of the flag mast or any other temple structure which formed part of the divine body of the presiding deity of the temple.