New Delhi, Oct 3 (IANS) : Kerala BJP state president and MLA Rajeev Chandrasekhar has taken up the long-pending demand for an airport dedicated to Sabarimala pilgrims with the Centre, proposing a feasibility study of around 3,000 acres at Kodumon Estate in Pathanamthitta.
In a social media post on Saturday, Chandrasekhar said he met Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu and submitted a proposal put forward by senior BJP leaders Kummanam Rajasekharan and Anoop Antony.
The proposal seeks a detailed examination of the land at Kodumon Estate, in consultation with the Kerala government, for developing an airport to serve Sabarimala pilgrims.
The site, which is located in the vicinity of Pampa, has also been proposed for consideration under the Centre’s Greenfield Airports Policy.
The BJP leader said pilgrims arriving at Sabarimala from different parts of the country and abroad currently have to land at either Kochi or Thiruvananthapuram and then undertake a road journey lasting several hours to reach the pilgrimage centre.
A dedicated airport, he said, would significantly ease the journey for pilgrims and improve connectivity to Sabarimala.
Chandrasekhar also pointed to the potential benefits for the wider Pathanamthitta region, particularly families with members working abroad. Improved air connectivity, he said, could also benefit the broader pilgrimage circuit in and around Sabarimala.
The proposal comes at a time when air connectivity to major pilgrimage destinations has emerged as an important component of their tourism and infrastructure development.
Chandrasekhar cited the improved connectivity to pilgrimage centres such as Shirdi and Tirupati as examples of how better transport facilities can support the development of such destinations.
He said the objective was to provide Sabarimala pilgrims with world-class travel facilities comparable to those available at other major pilgrimage centres.
The proposal, however, will require detailed technical and feasibility assessments before any decision on an airport project can be taken.
The demand for better air connectivity to Sabarimala has been raised periodically, with the proposed Sabarimala airport at Cheruvally having also been under consideration for several years.
The new proposal seeks examination of the large tract of land at Kodumon Estate as another possible location.
