Pinarayi Vijayan moves resolution in Assembly urging Centre to reconsider decision to lease Trivandrum airport

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday moved a resolution in the State Assembly urging the Central Government to reconsider its decision to hand over operations and supervision of Trivandrum International Airport through Public-Private Partnership.

Earlier, Vijayan has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to reconsider the decision to "hand over the management and operation of the Trivandrum International Airport to a private bidder".

In a letter, the chief minister said that a meeting of leaders of all political parties in the state was convened through video conference and "the overwhelming view that emerged in the meeting, barring a lone voice to the contrary, was that given the unique place the Trivandrum International Airport has in the history of the State, its management and operation needs to vest with the State government".

At the meeting of leaders of political parties in the state, all parties except the BJP opposed the decision concerning the airport.

The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal to lease out Thiruvananthapuram and two other airports through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for "operation, management and development" to Adani Enterprises Ltd, who was declared as the successful bidder in global competitive bidding conducted by the Airports Authority of India, for a period of 50 years.

Earlier today, Congress MLA VD Satheesan moved a no-confidence motion against Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala Assembly that was allowed by Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan.