All support will be given for proposed Kannur airport

KANNUR: Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation K C Venugopal said Union Government would give all support for the development of the proposed Kannur airport. Speaking after inaugurating the sixth edition of the Grand Kerala Shopping festival (GKSF) at Jawahar Municipal Stadium, he said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was monitoring development of Kannur and Goa airports. He said environment clearance certificate would be obtained on December 18 for Kannur airport. The central and state government would set up infrastructure facilities for the development of airports in the Kerala to invite more tourists, he said. The minister pointed out that more funds would be allotted in the state budgets for the development of tourism sector. He said last year about 101 lakh tourism, including eight lakh foreign tourists, visited the state and the Kerala Government was aiming to make GKS festival like Dubai festival. For a beginning a global village would be functioning from December 22 to January 9 at Kochi. Kerala had high potential in Handloom, handicrafts, spices, and enough skill man power and the innovative products of Kerala would be introduced before the domestic and international tourists in GKSF, he added.