Public hearing on SIA for Sabarimala airport project will begin on Friday

The public hearing on the draft Social Impact Assessment (SIA) report for the proposed Sabarimala Greenfield Airport in Erumely will begin on Friday.

According to officials, the hearing of residents of Erumely South village affected by the project will be held at 10 am on Friday in the congregation hall of Ascension Forane Church in Erumely. The hearing for residents of Manimala village will be held at the community hall in Mukkada at 10 am on Saturday.

According to the SED report, the project will directly affect the livelihood of 327 families. 326 families will have to be moved and seven places of worship, two schools, a hospital, a canteen, a ration warehouse and a work office will have to be purchased.

It calls for prioritizing job opportunities for residents of the project area during both the construction and operation phases of the airport.

Emphasis is placed on preserving the natural flow of the Manimalayar river as construction activities may disrupt various streams and channels flowing into the river. Concerns are growing about the potential ecological disasters that could result from razing the hills for the project.

This is the second HIA conducted for the project. Both SIA and previous notifications for land acquisition were canceled by the government following objections from Ayana Charitable Trust (formerly Bible for Asia) and local residents. They challenged in court the legitimacy of the initial SIA study conducted by the Center for Management Development, citing the organisation’s links to the State Industries department. Thereafter, the State government issued a fresh notification for SIA under Section 4(1) of the LARR Act, 2013.

A new notification for land acquisition will be issued only after the completion of the existing HIA procedures and submission of the final report.