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Kerala challenges move to lease Trivandrum airport to Adani Enterprises
Kerala has insisted that the state government had offered to match Adani’s bid and run the airport, insisting that it deserved preferential consideration since it had the experience to run airports.
The Kerala govt has moved the Supreme Court challenging the move by Airport Authority of India to hand over Trivandrum airport to Adani Enterprises for 50 years.
The state-run Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) had participated in the bid till the last minute but Adani Enterprises quoted the highest and won the bid in February last year.
Kerala has insisted that the state government had offered to match Adani’s bid and run the airport, insisting that it deserved preferential consideration since it had the experience to run airports.
The Pinarayi Vijayan government, which had earlier approached the high court, has also contended that the Centre was bound to consult the state government under a 2003 assurance before involving a private party.
The Kerala govt had submitted in the high court that attempt on the part of the Airport Authority to grant of the right to operate, manage and develop Trivandrum International Airport to a private party with no experience in managing airports wasn’t in public interest.
It was also argued that the move violates the proprietary rights of the State Government since the land on which the Thiruvananthapuram Airport is situated, was given by the state government and the erstwhile Travancore state to airport authority from time to time free of cost.
The Kerala High Court had dismissed the plea by the State on the ground that the case is a dispute between Centre and state and can be decided only by the Supreme Court under Article 131 of the Constitution.
The Kerala govt has disputed this reasoning of the high court on the ground that airport authority is a necessary party to the case and a suit under Article 131 cannot be maintained if a private body is a party to the case.
