Pathanamthitta: For the first time in its history, Kerala is witnessing the restoration of an illegally converted natural stream as well as a hill that had been razed
A sizeable portion of the natural stream, Karimaramthodu, cutting across the Aranmula Puncha (paddy fields) had been converted by a private party to set up an airport there 10 years ago. The land owned by Abraham Kalamannil of the Mount Zion Trust was sold to the Chennai-based KGS company for setting up an international airport later..
However, the controversy over the proposed private greenfield airport hotted up following strong public protests against the airport project which required conversion of the biodiversity-rich wetland and paddy land in Aranmula.
The National Green Tribunal had set aside the environment clearance granted for the project by the Ministry of Environment and Forests a year ago, followed by the cancellation of clearances by the Union Ministries of Civil Aviation and Defence.
30/06/15 Radhakrishnan Kuttoor/The Hindu
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A sizeable portion of the natural stream, Karimaramthodu, cutting across the Aranmula Puncha (paddy fields) had been converted by a private party to set up an airport there 10 years ago. The land owned by Abraham Kalamannil of the Mount Zion Trust was sold to the Chennai-based KGS company for setting up an international airport later..
However, the controversy over the proposed private greenfield airport hotted up following strong public protests against the airport project which required conversion of the biodiversity-rich wetland and paddy land in Aranmula.
The National Green Tribunal had set aside the environment clearance granted for the project by the Ministry of Environment and Forests a year ago, followed by the cancellation of clearances by the Union Ministries of Civil Aviation and Defence.
30/06/15 Radhakrishnan Kuttoor/The Hindu
