The State secretariat of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) indicated on Thursday that it would launch a mass agitation against the leasing of the Thiruvananthapuram international airport to the Adani Group.
In a statement here, the CPI(M) said the “people would not allow the takeover”. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government at the Centre had sold the Ahmedabad, Lucknow, and Mangaluru airports to the Adani Group the party favoured. The BJP had now attempted to sell Kerala’s sea and air to the private corporation. The people would resist the move.
Adani had won the bid to operate the Thiruvananthapuram airport for 50 years for a pittance. At a stroke, it had come into the control of an asset worth more than ₹30,000 crore. The airport threw up an annual profit of ₹170 crore.
Kerala had repeatedly moved the Centre to allow a State-government entity to run the Thiruvananthapuram airport on the lines of Kochi and Kannur. However, it had rejected the State’s plea.
A 2003 accord signed by the State government with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) stated that the value of the airport land (665) acres would be converted into the State’s share if the Centre created or allowed a company to run the airport.
