Kerala high court rejects state government’s plea against airport lease to Adani group

Source:-https://www.hindustantimes.com

The Kerala high court on Monday rejected the state government’s plea questioning the Centre’s decision to lease out Thiruvananthapuram international airport to the Adani Enterprises.

While rejecting the plea of the state government and five others, the court said it did not want to interfere with what it called a policy decision of the Centre. The division bench also observed that the government had participated in the bidding earlier and lost and it was not proper on its part to question the decision now.

In August, the state assembly had passed a unanimous resolution urging the Centre to withhold its decision. Later, the government had moved the high court for a second time.

In the petition, the state said the Centre showed undue preference in leasing out the airport to Adani Enterprises which has no experience in running airports. But the Centre opposed it saying it was unfair to oppose the decision after losing the bid.

Reacting to the high court’s decision, the state government said it will move the Supreme Court soon. “The Union Government’s move to ‘sell’ the airport is nothing short of a daylight robbery. We will move the apex court,” said state tourism minister Kadakampally Surendran.

Last year also, the high court had rejected the government’s plea so it approached the Supreme Court which had referred the issue back to the high court with a direction to hear it again.

In February 2019, government-owned Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) had participated in the open bidding for the airport but Adani Enterprises won it _ Adani group had quoted Rs 168 per passenger fee, KSIDC at Rs 135 followed by GMR at Rs 63.

After losing the bid, the CM had written to the prime minister, asking him not to hand over the airport to a private entity citing the successful PPP model of the Cochin International Limited (CIAL) and Kannur airports. He said the state deserved preferential consideration, taking into account its experience in running two airports.

One of the oldest airports of the country (built in 1932), the Thiruvananthapuram airport was operated by the Airport Authority of India (AAI). Situated in the middle of the city on 638 acres of land donated by the erstwhile rulers of Travancore, only 40 acres were added to the airport later, crippling its further expansion.