Thiruvananthapuram: The decision of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to hand over the management, operation and development of the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to the Adani group has not gone down well with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. He has vehemently opposed the move, saying that no private player can manage the airport without the state government’s support. He seems to have made this a prestige issue and has started building resistance against the move.
Private investment is not a matter of anathema for the communist chief minister as the communists have already changed their mindset towards it. Moreover, he is rolling out the red carpet for investors from across the globe, though not many have shown much interest yet. “No authority can take the airport and hand it over to a private party ignoring the opinion and demand of the state government. No private player can manage or develop the airport without the cooperation and support of the state government. We have raised the issue several times and I would personally apprise the issue and clarify the state government’s stand to Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he told the state legislature. He took up the issue with Modi when he arrived in Delhi to attend a NITI Aayog meeting recently.
There is no reason to believe that the state government has developed a xenophobic attitude towards the Adani group; the latter already has operations in the state after winning the prestigious Vizhinjam International Sea Port project in Thiruvananthapuram. And in its effort to meet the target of completing the project in the stipulated timeframe, it is working hand in hand with the state government.
However, the chief minister’s warning that no force can operate or manage the airport without the cooperation of the state government has to be taken seriously. The communists have a track record of defeating entrepreneurs and warding off investors in the past several decades, causing the negative growth of industries in the state.
23/06/19 NV Ravindranathan Nair/India Legal
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Private investment is not a matter of anathema for the communist chief minister as the communists have already changed their mindset towards it. Moreover, he is rolling out the red carpet for investors from across the globe, though not many have shown much interest yet. “No authority can take the airport and hand it over to a private party ignoring the opinion and demand of the state government. No private player can manage or develop the airport without the cooperation and support of the state government. We have raised the issue several times and I would personally apprise the issue and clarify the state government’s stand to Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he told the state legislature. He took up the issue with Modi when he arrived in Delhi to attend a NITI Aayog meeting recently.
There is no reason to believe that the state government has developed a xenophobic attitude towards the Adani group; the latter already has operations in the state after winning the prestigious Vizhinjam International Sea Port project in Thiruvananthapuram. And in its effort to meet the target of completing the project in the stipulated timeframe, it is working hand in hand with the state government.
However, the chief minister’s warning that no force can operate or manage the airport without the cooperation of the state government has to be taken seriously. The communists have a track record of defeating entrepreneurs and warding off investors in the past several decades, causing the negative growth of industries in the state.
23/06/19 NV Ravindranathan Nair/India Legal
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