Thiruvananthapuram: Ignoring mounting protests from eco-groups and traditional fishermen, the State government has given the nod to Kerala Tourism to kick off the seaplane project aimed at linking remote tourist destinations by this month.
The first seaplane for Kerala has reached New Delhi for the mandatory clearances from the Customs and the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and is expected to arrive in Kochi, the base of the seaplane operations, later this week.
The five-plus-one seat plane has been taken on lease by a Bangalore-based company from a Dubai-based aviation company. Tourism Secretary Suman Billa told The Hindu that the aim was to enable the takeoff of the seaplane, preferably on May 27 from Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam.
23/05/13 S Anil Radhakrishnan/The Hindu
