On the heels of revising its land acquisition plan for the proposed airport at Erumely, the State government has begun a social impact assessment (SIA) of the project in Erumely South and Manimala villages.
Official sources said the project is being implemented by the Centre for Management Development (CMD), an autonomous institution under the State government. As part of assessing the impact, the agency has commenced collecting details of houses and structures in Erumely panchayat.
Conducting an SIA study as contemplated in the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (LARRA), 2013 was one of the two conditions set by the State while revising the order to acquire land for the airport project.
Meanwhile, the Revenue department has served a demand notice to collect land tax on the Cheruvally Estate from Ayana Charitable Trust (formerly known as Gospel for Asia) under the Believers’ Church that currently owns the property. The notice was sent as per an order of the High Court based on a petition filed by the Believers’ Church.
The latest government order stipulates acquisition of 1,039.876 hectares (2,570 acre) of land in Kanjirappally taluk for the construction and development of the airport. This also includes an additional 307 acres outside Cheruvally Estate.
