By India Today News Desk: In 2015, it was decided by the Kerala state government that the Kannur International Airport runway would be extended from 3,050 m to 4,000 m in order to make it to the standards of an international airport. At the time, the government had identified 248 acres for acquisition – specifically the land in wards no 12 and 13 i.e. Keezhallur North and Kanad. Eight years on, expansion plans are yet to take off.

According to Onmanorama, these wards have 172 houses but the state government has not acquired the land from the owners nor is it allowing them to build new houses or sell the land. It reported that come May 22, the action committee of these 172 landowners will picket the office of Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KINFRA). Government agency KINFRA is in charge of the land acquisition and the rehabilitation of the 172 families.

Two years ago KINFRA rented houses for 12 families and moved them as their land had got eroded from the water running off the runway. However, KINFRA reportedly stopped paying their rent after six months.

As per the report, KINFRA officials stated that 36 acres at Chalode, 4 km from Kanad, had been identified to rehabilitate these families. Each family that would lose their house would get 10 cents of land to build a new one and the land would be compensated at twice its valued amount. However, land for that is yet to be purchased.

A KINFRA official told Onmanorama that they wrote to the state government for Rs 1,273 crore to compensate and rehabilitate the families but have not heard back and the government also cited lack of funds.

Currently, the airlines operating at Kannur airport were GoFirst, Air India Express and IndiGo Airlines, and this was not to the airport’s full capacity. With GoFirst filing for insolvency, only two airlines would operate from Kannur airport.

The action committee members told Onmanorama they met Chief Minister also but action is yet to be taken on their compensation and rehabilitation.