Kannur Airport Opened; Kerala first state to have 4 international airports
Kannur, Dec 9 : Kerala has become the first state in the country to have four international airports with the inauguration of the Kannur airport on Sunday.
Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan jointly flagged off the inaugural Air India Express flight, carrying 186 passengers to Abu Dhabi, at the airport near Mattannur town in the morning.
With the commissioning of the airport, the state has become the first in the country to have four international airports, with Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode being the other three.
The airport depicts not only cultural traditions of Malabar and Kannur, but also of Kodagu in neighbouring Karnataka. Virajpet in Kodagu is just only 58-km away from the airport, while district headquarters Madikeri is around 90-km away.
Mural paintings depicting the heritage of Malabar and Indian dance forms, including Theyyam of north Kerala, Kathakali and Yakshagana, the traditional theatre art form of Karnataka, are among the art works that vie for attention at the airport.
Speaking at the inaugural function, Prabhu said the commissioning of the greenfield airport was expected to pave way for the state's overall development and prosperity, especially the northern region.
The Kannur airport, built on a public-private partnership (PPP) mode, will become a new benchmark of how airports will be constructed in the country. The airport will help the non-resident Keralites (NRKs), especially in the Gulf region, besides boosting tourism and exports, which will result in several job opportunities, Prabhu said.
The minister also wanted the airport to use green power as it would result in economic savings. India already has about 100 airports and, in 10-15 years, another 100 would be added, he said.
"The Centre is also preparing an integrated logistics plan to fast-track movement of goods and cut transactions cost of business and we are actively working with Kerala government on this," Prabhu, who is also the commerce and industries minister, added.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan hailed the support of the minister in fulfilling the state's dream project.
Vijayan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's response was also positive when he had met him as part of bringing foreign carriers to the airport.
"The effective interventions of everyone has helped the airport become a reality now," he said, adding that Kannur was the second airport in which the state government has a stake.
Vijayan also remembered various personalities, including late CPI(M) veteran and former state chief minister, E K Nayanar, and late industrialist Krishnan Nair, who had contributed in making the Kannur airport project a reality in various phases.
The Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front and the Bharatiya Janata Party have boycotted the function. The UDF is miffed as former chief minister Oommen Chandy was not invited.
Various state ministers and NRI businessman M A Yousuf Ali were among those who attended the event.
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Three arrested for obstructing police while escorting Mahesh Shetty Timarodi
Udupi, Aug 21: Police have arrested three persons for allegedly obstructing duty and ramming a car into a police vehicle while officers were bringing accused Mahesh Shetty Timarodi to the Brahmavar Police Station in connection with a case registered there.
The arrested have been identified as Srujan L., Hitesh Shetty, and Sahan, all residents of Ujire. They were produced before the court, which remanded them to judicial custody. Police said the car used in the incident has also been seized.
According to police, when Timarodi was being escorted from Ujire to Brahmavar, a group of his supporters followed the convoy in their vehicles. Despite repeated warnings not to interfere with police movement, the supporters allegedly continued to obstruct the vehicles. Near Hosmar, under Karkala Rural Police Station limits, they allegedly rammed their car into an official vehicle (bearing registration number KA 20 G 0669) belonging to the Udupi District Additional Superintendent of Police, in an attempt to prevent the police team from taking Timarodi to Brahmavar.
Following the incident, a case was registered at Karkala Rural Police Station. The three accused were later arrested and their car was seized. They have now been placed under judicial custody.
