In a significant development, the Kerala government on Wednesday issued an order to commence acquisition of land for the proposed Sabarimala Greenfield International Airport at Erumely.
The order, issued by Tinku Biswal, Revenue Principal Secretary, takes into consideration the Social Impact Assessment report, recommendations on the same by an expert committee, and a report by the Kottayam District Collector. It states that a total of 1,039.876 hectares (2,570 acres) of land in Erumely South and Manimala villages shall be acquired for the project. This includes 307 acres of land located outside the Cheruvally estate. A recent digital mapping of the land suggested that only 165 acres outside the estate was actually required for the project.
The peg marking process, which began from Charuveli near Mukkada, is expected to be finished by the end of December. “The boundary pipes are being installed at visible distance to ensure that the land for the project is easily distinguishable. Additionally, officials will assess whether any adjustments can be made in the final stages to protect existing buildings or houses within the proposed area,” said an official.
Official survey
As the next step, the government will issue a notification for land acquisition under section 11 (1) of the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (LARR) Act, which is the preliminary notification for land acquisition. Subsequently, the government will begin the official survey of the land as per section 12 of the Act and prepare a file of the precise extent of land to be acquired along with their survey numbers. It will be followed by a declaration of the rehabilitation and resettlement (RR) package, as outlined in section 19 (1) of the LARR Act.
According to Revenue Minister K. Rajan, the preliminary notification of land acquisition could be issued by August 2024 . For this, the land records of property owners should be verified, followed by a survey of the land. This will soon be followed by a final notification.
