KERALA CM MEETS PM MODI, EXPRESSES CONCERNS OVER
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM AIRPORT'S PRIVATISATION
K
erala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called
on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his
residence and expressed the state's
reservation on the privatisation of
Thiruvananthapuram international airport.
This is for the first time that the Left leader was
meeting Modi after he assumed office for the second
time following the BJP-led NDA's victory in the Lok
Sabha polls. Vijayan is here to attend the Niti Aayog
meeting. During the brief meet, attended by state
PWD minister G Sudhakaran and Chief Secretary
Tom Jose, Vijayan submitted a memorandum citing
various demands including further aid for rebuilding
the flood-hit state.
Official sources said the chief minister requested the
Centre to retain the airport in the public sector and
not to hand over its management to any private
company.
Kerala's concern over its reported exclusion from
the priority list of the national highway development
and the need to get more central assistance for
various projects also figured in the discussion, which
lasted for around 15 minutes, they added.
The Adani group had, in February, won the bid to
.operate five out of six airports, including the one at
Thiruvananthapuram proposed for privatisation by
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the central government
The state government had earlier appealed to the
Centre to reconsider its decision to lease out
Thiruvananthapuram aerodrome for operation,
management and development under the public-
private partnership (PPP).
In a letter to the prime minister in March, Vijayan had
demanded that the airport's operation be
handed over to the Thiruvananthapuram
International Airport Ltd (TIAL) floated by
the government-run Kerala State Industrial
Development Corporation (KSIDC).
The airport was established in 1932 on 258.06 acres
of land owned by the princely state of Travancore,
of which the state is the successor. The 258.06 acres
of land had been entered into the revenue records
as government land.
The Airports Authority of India has admitted that only
0.05756 hectares out of the total extent of 636.57
acres of land are under its ownership.
The state government claims it has the expertise
in airport management and also creditworthiness,
more than that of the private entity, which does
not possess previous experience in such
operations.