AN all-party meeting presided over by the chief minister of Kerala, that was held in Thiruvananthapuram on August 20, has demanded the central government to withdraw its decision to handover Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to the Adani group. All attendees except the BJP representatives had sharply criticised the privatisation of airport. The meeting decided to continue to jointly fight a legal battle on this issue. 

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state government had demanded that the supervision and management of the airport should be vested in a state controlled Special Purpose Vehicle. Letters were sent to the civil aviation minister and prime minister many times. In another letter addressed to the secretary of civil aviation, the chief secretary had clarified that the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation representing the state government had participated in the bidding process and informed that if Adani Group quotes higher amount, the KSIDC is ready to pay the same amount. In 2003, the ministry of civil aviation had assured that the right to supervision and management will be vested in the SPV controlled by the state government considering the state’s contribution to the development of Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. The state government is much experienced in the management of Kochi Airport in Nedumbasseri. The company which attained the bid has no such experience.

The state government had contributed 23.57 acres of land to the Airports Authority of India for the development in 2005. Apart from this, the government has started some steps to attain 18 more acres of land as per the condition that the value of the land could be converted as the state’s share in the proposed SPV, chief minister said.  He sought whole hearted support of all political parties in the legal fight against the privatisation. No agency could manage an airport without the cooperation of state government. Those who know how to run an industry would not confront with the government.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala offered full support to the state government on this issue.

In the meanwhile, the chief minister had written to the prime miniater Narendra Modi seeking  a review on the handover of Thiruvananthapuram airport to the Adani Group. The letter points out how the centre’s decision on the airport in question, is unilateral and calls for a reconsideration on the matter.

The letter cites centre’s rejection of several requests made by Kerala and underscores how the current airport handover was being made even as a petition against it, as directed by the Supreme Court, remains to be heard by the High Court.

CM also hinted that, it would be difficult to collaborate with a move that discounts state government’s point of view. With all the assurances given by the aviation ministry to the state having been breached, it would not be possible for this government to cooperate with handover proceedings, the letter said.

The state government   arrayed facts showing how airports at Nedumbassery and Kannur have an excellent operational track – an argument the centre chose to ignore. It also went on to dismiss the state’s plea asking to be allowed to run Thiruvananthapuram airport and instead, transferred the airport’s management to private hands by handing over its operational, developmental and renovational work to them for the next 50 years.