Malicious Media Misleads Public on Aranmula Project

With mainstream Malayalam media issuing malicious and falsified reports on the airport project getting a green signal from Union Ministry, Aranmula Paithrukagrama Karma Samiti convenor Kummanam Rajashekharan spared no efforts in assuring the public against the same. Referring to media reports as “blatant lie” he said it was a mischievous effort to mislead public.

“Many media houses are misleading the public by propagating that GOI has given approval for the construction of Aranmula Airport. It is a blatant lie,” he tweeted.

Explaining that it was a “normal procedure for Expert Appraisal Committee to look into the application, Kummanam said that the approval for study has been given by EAC and not MoEF. “However they could have rejected the application citing prior Green Tribunal and SC interventions and rejections!”

“According to procedure, every project application has to be submitted before the Expert Appraisal Committee constituted by the Ministry of Environment. The EAC will scrutinize the application and seek an environmental impact assessment to be done by an approved agency. That is a normal procedure which is legally followed. Following submission of the report the matter will be considered by EAC and public opinion will be sought. This will be followed by public hearing and following which EAC will give a recommendation to the ministry. Then the ministry will take a final decision whether to give clearance or not. It is only at that stage the ministry will come in to picture. The present attempt is only to create a perception that the BJP Government is supporting the project which is paid news to tarnish the image of the government,” said sources to HK.

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