Kannur airport: Who is to blame for delay?

Kannur: What US President Barack Obama’s visit to India has to do with the proposed Kannur airport? Virtually nothing, for the time being at least, except that it would cause some more delay to a much-delayed project.
More than a decade after the project was conceived and after innumerable surveys, studies and political lobbying, the foundation stone for the airport was to be laid in the first week of November as desired by the LDF Government in the state. The LDF wanted to grab the credit for the prestigious project, which would give a place of prominence to North Malabar in the aviation map of the country. And, they wanted it before the notification for the Assembly elections is announced. They were waiting for the civic polls to be over.
The LDF leadership was un-nerved further when the foundation stone laying ceremony has to be postponed to the first week of December to suit the convenience of Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel. The completion of the land acquisition process was another reason for the delay.
Eventually, when November 15 was fixed as the date for the inauguration of the work, that too had to be postponed. Now, the official version is that the launch of the work has to be fixed in the first week of December to ensure the presence of Praful Patel and the Union ministers from the state at the function.
What is even more intriguing is the fact that no one connected with the airport project has any idea over who and how it would be implemented, except that it would be a project with public-private participation.
06/11/10 P Divakaran/ExpressBuzz

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Categories: Airports Nov 2010, New Nov 2010