Plan to set up airstrip in Wayanad

THE Kerala government is planning to set up an airstrip in the hilly district of Wayanad, according to online news sites quoting IANS.

The preliminary hiccups are to identify a suitable land for the airstrip which has been entrusted to the K-Rail team, which presently is still awaiting clearance for the Silverline high-speed railway line.

Wayanad district is located bordering Kozhikode, Kannur and Malappuram districts and is set high in the Western Ghats with altitudes ranging from 700 to 2100 meters.

There are international airports in Kozhikode and Kannur and hence the only practical solution is for an airstrip and with the difficult terrain in the district and its proximity to two international airports, the airstrip can be expected in and around Sulthan Bathery.

Though Wayanad is a popular tourist destination and with Mysore lying close to the hilly district, there are lots of tourists coming into the district from Karnataka, the viability of an airstrip is a debatable one.

The coastal state has four international airports and a fifth one is on the anvil near the famed Sabarimala temple.