Pathanamthitta: The controversial Aranmula airport project, which had returned to public discussion after a long gap, appears to have hit a roadblock even before taking off, with Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan making it clear that the government has not considered any plans related to the proposed airport.

Satheesan’s statement has brought a temporary end to renewed discussions surrounding the project, which has remained a subject of debate for over a decade.

The initial move towards the airport project began when Abraham Kalamannil, the owner of Mount Zion Engineering College in Kadammanitta, purchased eight acres of paddy land in Aranmula, reportedly for students of the aeronautical course launched at the institution. He later acquired another 232 acres of farmland.

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In 2010, the land was sold to KGS Group, an airport development company. A year later, in 2011, an area covering 232 acres and parts of residential regions in Aranmula was declared an industrial zone.

The move triggered strong opposition, with the anti-airport campaign launched by the Palliyoda-Pallivilakku Protection Committee later being taken up by the Aranmula Heritage Village Action Council and the Anti-Airport Coordination Committee. Large-scale protests followed, with activists alleging that the project ignored the region’s environmental concerns, wetlands, displacement issues and cultural heritage.

In 2014, the National Green Tribunal cancelled all approvals granted for the project. The Supreme Court later upheld the decision, effectively bringing the airport discussions to an end.

However, the issue resurfaced last week after reports emerged that a private company from Delhi had conducted a drone survey in the proposed project area at the request of Abraham Kalamannil. He had also expressed hope that a United Democratic Front (UDF) government would take a favourable view of the airport proposal.

The renewed speculation ended after Chief Minister Satheesan stated that the government had not held any discussions regarding the project.

Meanwhile, Kalamannil told Mathrubhumi that no drone survey had been conducted in the project area. Earlier, he had told the media that a survey was carried out but that he had not yet received the report.

"We have not approached the government for the project. The Chief Minister has not visited the site either. If the location and direction are changed slightly, the airport can still be built there.

"The drone survey was considered for that purpose. It was not conducted. We are interested only in developing it under the PPP (Public Private Partnership) model. There is no change in our stand that Pathanamthitta district needs an airport," he said.