Ministry of defence clears proposal for airport at Kannur

Thiruvananthapuram: The ministry of defence has cleared the proposal to open up a fourth airport in Kerala, which will be located in the Kannur district of this southern State of the country. The new airport will open up the rich tourism potential of this northern part of Kerala, which is also referred to as "God's own country."

The final clearance for the project will now have to come from the ministry of civil aviation, which has already accorded it an in-principle approval.

According to State ministers, who spoke to reporters in New Delhi, the mode of funding for the project would be decided later. It appears that the Kerala Government would provide 10 acres near the proposed airport for the Indian Navy to set up some facilities, since a major training academy of the service was located at nearby Ezhimala.

Kerala chief minister, VS Achuthanandan, is scheduled to meet prime minister Manmohan Singh and is expected to press for central government sanction for several projects in Kerala, including the proposed airport at Kannur.

Earlier, civil aviation minister, Praful Patel, had suspended a recent caveat that asked for airports to have two-runways. Patel heeded the State's persistent argument that a swift realization of the project was possible only if the caveat was given the go-by.

The region is expected to attract a lot of tourist traffic from other parts of the country.