Sabarimala Airport gets sanction for land acquisition

January 2023

The Sabarimala greenfield airport has received the sanction for land acquisition. A land area of 1,039.88 hectares was acquired in Erumeli South and Manimala in Kottayam district in Kerala. It is planned to be built at Cheruvally Estate near Erumeli and will require 370 acres more outside this estate. There are two requirements for this order – a social impact assessment by an expert committee and approval of land by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). The airport is designed to have a 3,500 metre runway and is located ar­ound 45 km away from the temple town. The Kerala State Industrial Develop­ment Corporation is the nodal agency for the project and US-based company Louis Berger International is the consultant.