New Delhi: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence Saturday and requested the exemption of Thiruvananthapuram international airport from privatisation and demanded its retainment to the state's purview.
Expressing the state's reservation on the privatisation of its airport, Vijayan said, "I told PM Modi that Trivandrum Airport should be handed to over to Kerala government and exempt it from privatisation policy of Central government,"
"Kerala has proven its credibility to run two international airports which have even appreciated by international agencies including the UN agencies," added Kerala CM while speaking to the media after meeting PM Modi.
This is for the first time that the Left leader was meeting Modi after he assumed office for the second time following the Bharatiya Janta Party's victory in the Lok Sabha polls.
"The central aviation secretary had given written assurance in 2003 that the central government would consider the state government in good faith before taking a decision in this regard, " said Vijayan.
Invoking the deal between the then King of Travancore and the state government, Vijayan said, "the 635-acre land in which the airport is situated was given by Travancore king and the state government. Therefore, it cannot be transferred to any private agency."
The Chief Minister also protested the idea of handing the airport over to the Adani group, a private sector conglomerate of firms, and said, "Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation has also participated in the bid. Hence, the central government cannot hand it over to Adani group which is a private company having no experience on the basis of it quoting a higher price."
The Adani group, in February, had won the bid to operate five out of six airports, including the one at Thiruvananthapuram, proposed for privatisation by the central government.
Also read: Wayanad's honey hunters set for record collection
The state government had earlier appealed to the Centre to reconsider its decision to lease out Thiruvananthapuram aerodrome for operation, management, and development under the public-private partnership (PPP).
