Row over inclusion of Sabarimala master plan in Emerging Kerala website

Pathanamthitta: The Emerging Kerala-2012 document uploaded on the website have projected the proposed Aranmula International Airport project and the Sabarimala master plan projects as two ‘key projects’ for Pathanamthitta district.
The information provided on the State-owned website said the proposed airport would be the ‘first private international Greenfield airport project in India.’
The Chennai-based KGS Group has already announced setting up of a Rs 2000 crore international greenfield airport at Aranmula.
The website document further describes Pathanamthitta as ``a district known as the `headquarters of pilgrimage tourism’’ adding that ``the major pilgrim centres here are Sabarimala, Maramon, Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple, Manjanikkara Diara, Parumala, Kadammanitta, Niranom and Nilackal.’’
Talking to The Hindu, Mr Kummanam Rajashekharan, Hindu Aikyavedi State general secretary, said there was every reason to suspect a ``hidden commercial agenda’’ behind the inclusion of Sabarimala master plan projects in the profile document of the Emerging Kerala meet.Mr Rajashekharan alleged that it was a conscious distortion of facts and conspiracy aimed at providing elbow room for multi-national commercial interests to enter Sabarimala.
04/09/12 Radhakrishnan Kuttoor/The Hindu

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Categories: airports Sep 2012