Kottayam: Land measurement for the proposed Sabarimala airport at Cheruvally Estate has hit a roadblock. Although technical experts have advised that a fresh survey is unnecessary since the entire estate is being acquired, the permission of the current owner, Ayana Charitable Trust, is essential.

The measurement of land outside the estate has been completed, with 121.87 hectares surveyed using traditional methods. Authorities have now decided to incorporate the earlier digital survey conducted by the government for the land within the estate. If the trust raises objections to the use of the digital survey data, a new measurement will be required inside the estate, a process that cannot move forward without the trust’s consent and is expected to cause significant delays.

With the land acquisition case pending before the Pala court and another case against the Social Impact Assessment under consideration in the High Court, reports indicate that the Trust is not keen on cooperating with the current procedures. If it fails to respond to the notice, the government may have to seek court intervention.

The next major task is to prepare documentation for the private land that has already been measured. There is a need to determine how much land will be taken from each owner, as well as to collect detailed information on buildings and trees located within those plots. Assistance has been sought from the Public Works Department, Agriculture Department and Rubber Board for the valuation process. The basic value of each property will then be fixed accordingly.

The survey that began on July 5 has already been delayed due to manpower shortages and persistent rain. Progress on the land acquisition process has slowed again, as the Deputy Collector and Tehsildar overseeing the matter have been reassigned to election duties ahead of the upcoming Kerala local body polls.