Kochi: V J Kurian, known for his decisive role in building the Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial) as India’s first public private partnership (PPP) model airport project, will step down from the post of the managing director on Wednesday as he completes the five-year post-retirement tenure.
Ernakulam district collector S Suhas will hold the full additional charge of Cial MD till further orders.
Kurian, a 1983 batch IAS officer, has led Cial for a record period of 19 years over three terms in its 27-year history as the managing director, making the airport one of the most successful PPP model projects in the country and revolutionizing airport operation management.
Kurian was given a five-year stint as the MD of Cial in 2016 by the Pinarayi Vijayan government on his superannuation from the post of the additional chief secretary.
Over the last five years, Cial has invested Rs 2,016 crore for its infrastructure development, which included operationalization of Terminal 3, runway resurfacing, renovation of Terminal 1, implementation of extensive flood mitigation project and the capacity enhancement of solar plants from 14.4 MWp to 40 MWp. It was under Kurian’s leadership that Cial became the world’s first airport fully powered by solar energy.
His futuristic idea of sourcing green energy to operate an airport won him many international awards and accolades, the latest being the ‘Champion of the Earth-2018’ by United Nations Environmental Programme. This is the highest environmental prize instituted by the United Nations.
The government of India introduced Cial’s solar power project as one of the two flagship ventures at the COP21, the global climate change conference, held at Paris.
“After the airport operated by the Indian Navy in Willingdon Island became obsolete, the government asked Kurian, who was the then Ernakulam collector, to find out a solution. Kurian’s proposal of bringing the future beneficiaries of the airport project, viz; non-resident Indians, airlines, common public, high net worth business people, banks and fuelling agencies into a common platform wherein the government machinery could act as a facilitator not only built a world class airport at Kochi but also triggered many huge development projects in both aviation and non-aviation sectors,” said a Cial statement.
09/06/21 Times of India
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