Airport clearance near Sabarimala great news for spiritual tourism: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday welcomed the Civil Aviation Ministry's site clearance for a greenfield airport project at Kottayam and termed it as a "great news for spiritual tourism".

The Civil Aviation Ministry had on April 13 informed the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (KSIDC) about the site clearance for the airport that would come up close to the famed Lord Ayyappa shrine at Sabarimala.

The ministry also asked the KSIDC to proceed with preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and to send that along with an application for grant of 'in-principle' approval to it for further necessary action.

Subsequently, the ministry tweeted: "After several rounds of engagement with the project proponent - KSIDC/Government of Kerala, MoCA has granted Site Clearance for a Greenfield Airport project at Kottayam (Sabarimala) which will enhance connectivity and development in the region."

"The Kottayam Greenfield Airport project is proposed to be developed on ...