A mini airport may come up in Kasaragod

coastaldigest.com news network

March 24, 2018

The Kasaragod Zilla Panchayat of Kerala has proposed construction of a mini-airport or airstrip to accelerate the growth of tourism industry in the coastal district.

The plan is to float a company modelled on the Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) in Kasaragod and facilitate operation of small aircraft.

This was among the highlights of the budget presented by Zilla Panchayat vice president Shantamma Philip on Thursday.

The development comes in the wake of Union government's proposal to start mini-airports for intra-district connectivity in Kasaragod, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Palakkad, Kochi, Idukki and Thiruvanathapuram.

The Zilla Panchayat will take the initiative to set up the mini-airport once the State government gave the green signal and support for the project. The airstrip will help improve connectivity and tap the tourism potential of the district by linking it with major cities.

The local body has identified 75 acres at Periye to start work by mopping up a working capital of Rs. 30 crore by soliciting support from Non-Resident Keralites, district panchayat president A.G.C. Basheer said.

However, the Opposition CPI(M) has termed the move impractical. The party said the proposal was rejected by the CIAL citing lack of feasibility, Zilla Panchayat member and CPI(M) leader V.P.P. Mustaffa said.

In fact a mini-airstrip at Periye was mooted around six years ago with a view to promoting Bekal Fort as a global tourism destination. The airstrip project was then aimed to link Mangaluru and other Kerala airports to help the tourists skip the narrow and bumpy roads to have easy access to Bekal.

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We Kasaragodians required basic facilities such as 4 track highway, street lights, good local roads, drinking waters. Not a airport in near future.

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Dakshina Kannada on high alert over bird flu reported in Kerala

News Network

April 23,2024

Mangaluru, Apr 23: As an outbreak of avian flu has been reported in some districts of neighbouring Kerala, the border areas of Karnataka, including Mangaluru, have been put on high alert, officials of the Karnataka Animal Husbandry department said.

At present, the situation in Kerala is being monitored before any action can be taken, they said.

“Our Kerala counterparts have assured us that the avian flu has been contained within Alappuzha district. However, loading, booking and carrying poultry and poultry products on trains and at railway stations are still under consideration (surveillance), the officials said.

Not only railways but also road transport ferrying chicken loads from Kerala to Mangaluru are under surveillance. Mangaluru, being one of the largest consumers of chicken from Kerala, has halted chicken procurement from Kerala-based suppliers.

Sudhakar Shetty, a market functionary, stated, “The animal husbandry department of Kerala has advised containment of avian flu within a few districts in Kerala. We are closely monitoring the situation.” Despite this, the market has not experienced significant fluctuations in supply yet, as local stocks have been adequate to meet the demand for the next few days.

Demand for chicken could fall for a few days due to a series of temple festivals in coastal areas, where many consumers refrain from consuming meat-based meals until Saturday. Nevertheless, Sunday could witness a change, as consumers may desire hot chicken curry for their Sunday meals, according to the local people.

As officials in the animal husbandry department in Dakshina Kannada have raised awareness in the market about avian flu in the neighbouring state, the question arises whether prices will fall if demand decreases.

“We do not want to contribute to the hysteria surrounding avian flu until our local stock falls below the level of demand,” said Aston D’Souza, a farm owner.

Dakshina Kannada also serves as a good market for suppliers from Shivamogga, Hassan, and Chikkamagaluru.

“In case supplies dwindle due to an unlikely prolonged shutdown of Kerala supplies, we can always purchase from those districts, albeit at a slightly higher cost than Kerala stock,” Shetty said.

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