Election campaigns in the Kannur Lok Sabha constituency have been gathering momentum, but candidates from all political parties continue to be wary of visiting Keezhallur North and Kannnad region in Keezhallur panchayat. For, the residents in the areas have vowed to boycott all parties that have not succeeded in acquiring land for the expansion of the Kannur International Airport’s runway.
As many as 172 families have been living in a state of uncertainty since 2015, after being compelled to surrender their property following the government’s decision to extend the airport’s runway. However, the government is yet to acquire the necessary land. Frustrated, the residents have now erected a banner with the message, “No political parties should come here seeking votes”.
In 2015, the State government unveiled plans to extend the airport’s runway from 3,050 meters to 4,000 meters, aiming to elevate it to international standards. Initially, 248 acres in Wards 12 and 13 were earmarked for acquisition in Keezhallur grama panchayat. But, nearly a decade later, the expansion remains stagnant. Despite repeated protests and appeals to successive governments by the residents, the State has neither acquired the land nor permitted the residents to develop or sell it.
Fifty-year-old Sanil Kallakandi said he had lost over 50 cents of land where he cultivated areca nut and coconut, from which he received a revenue of at least ₹3 lakh. “I don’t know how long we can hold on and we are on the verge of suicide,” he said. Mr. Kallakandi’s plot is way below the airport and during the rain the water brought along with it mud and sludge, which destroyed his crops.
“I had taken a loan to start my own business and it was during this period that the government notified the land. It was expected that we would receive a compensation. But even after so many years, the government has done nothing. The business ended in loss and with no revenue, the banks have served notices,” he said. His family was on the verge of a mental breakdown due to the mounting debts, he added.
M.C. Babu, another resident, said the poll promises of candidates faded into oblivion after elections, leaving the affected families in despair. The situation was dire for many, with some forced to relocate while others had to endure precarious living conditions in ramschackle houses, unable to renovate, repair, or sell their properties, he said.
E. K. Mohanan said two years ago some of the families were moved to rented house as their land was affected by erosion from water running off the runway. However, Kannur International Airport Limited (KIAL) reportedly stopped paying rent after six months.
Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra) officials stated that 36 acres at Chalode, 4 km from Kannad, had been identified to rehabilitate the families. Each family that would lose their house would get 10 cents of land to build a new one and the land lost would be compensated at twice its valued amount. However, land for that was yet to be purchased, said Mr. Mohanan.
