Despite the revival of Kochi airport after the massive flood crisis in Kerala, the airport authorities remain persistent at the task of restoring the airport to its previous state. The Kochi International Airport resumed operations on August 29 after two weeks of shut down. As per the officials, even though the airport is back in service, the restoration work is pending. Kochi International Airport has also hired several experts to accomplish this task. Additionally, the airport will be made flood-resistant this time. For this on-going restoration task, Cial has also raised an insurance claim of Rs 363 crore with New India Assurance Ltd.
Infrastructure Restoration at Kochi International Airport Impending
Kitco and Kerala Water Authority have been appointed by Cial to prepare a study on possible improvements that the airport infrastructure can benefit from. The Cial officials said about this new step, “We have sought a holistic study, which looks at various aspects including the infrastructure and issues regarding the Chengal canal.”, reported TOI.
The authority has installed a temporary peripheral wall spanning 2.6 km, alongwith that several electronic machines and X-ray machines had to be replaced after the flood and around 800 runway lights were also replaced. As per the Cial official’s statement, “Works are still ongoing. For example, if 26 of our x-ray machines were ruined in the flood, we have not replaced them all. We are currently operating with what is required. Currently, our team is working on restoring all that was lost in the flood.”
The Cial official further added that the team that has been given the responsibility of preparing the new plan for the boundary wall along with other infrastructure will submit the proposal to higher management. Thereafter, post the approval form higher management the call will be made whether the project will move forward or not.
CISF Takes Over Kannur International Airport
In a related development in Kerala, the Kannur International Airport will be taken over by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the personnel will now guard the airport round the clock. CISF's Rajesh Ranjan told India Today that the CISF personnel are ready to take over the airport, before operations commence on October 29. It’s also noteworthy that Kannur airport was used by rescue aircrafts during the recent Kerala flood. The Kannur International Airport is going to be CISF’s 61st airport.
