Keralam Forest department agrees to diversion of forestland for Sathram airstrip

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Peerumade MLA Cyriac Thomas, Kottayam DFO Praful Agarwal and District Collector Dineshan Cheruvatt led team inspecting the Sathram airstrip near Vandiperiyar on Thursday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The Forest department has agreed in principle to the diversion of forest land to the National Cadet Corps (NCC) to facilitate reconstruction work on the airstrip at Sathram, near Vandiperiyar, in Idukki.

Officials confirmed that a recent meeting involving Idukki District Collector Dineshan Cheruvatt, Peerumade MLA Cyriac Thomas, and Kottayam divisional forest officer (DFO) Praful Agarwal resolved to address the pending hurdles and expedite the reconstruction project. The Collector, MLA and DFO-led team visited the area on Thursday (September 10, 2026).

Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) D.K. Vinod Kumar stated that the department assured the Collector of its support for diverting the proposed reserve forestland at Sathram.

“For the diversion of forestland for developmental activities, the NCC must submit an application through the PARIVESH portal to secure statutory forest and wildlife clearances. Since the project lies adjacent to the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR), wildlife clearance and an environmental impact assessment (EIA) are mandatory given the ecologically sensitive nature of the terrain. Once these clearances are submitted, the department will formally recommend the diversion of the land,” the CCF explained.

Kottayam DFO Praful Agarwal noted that the NCC had applied for land diversion via the PARIVESH portal in 2023, but failed to submit the required supporting documents to proceed. “Once the documentation is complete, the department will fast-track its approvals,” he said.

The project gained renewed momentum after the Peerumade MLA raised the matter with the Chief Minister, prompting the high-level review. Officials revealed plans to transfer 6.5 acres of forestland for the airstrip, in exchange for an equivalent parcel of revenue land to be handed over to the Forest department.

Trial run of the airstrip at Sathram in December 2022. (File photo)

In July 2022, heavy rains triggered a landslip that washed away a section of the facility. Approximately 100 metres of the shoulder on the right side caved in, causing a deep crack across the runway. The damaged stretch remains unrepaired after the Forest department halted stabilisation works and stopped the construction of a 400-metre approach road, citing the site’s status as proposed reserve forest.

NCC officials noted that the Public Works department (PWD) had previously planned to execute the repairs once statutory approvals were granted. Forest officials reiterated that once land is notified under Section 4 of the Kerala Forest Act, 1961, it holds the legal status of a reserve forest under national conservation laws, making Central government clearance compulsory before any non-forestry use can proceed.

Designed to provide flight training for roughly 1,000 NCC Air Wing cadets, construction of the Sathram airstrip originally commenced on May 21, 2017.

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