By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has written to the civil aviation ministry saying the inauguration of a new terminal of the international airport here should be done by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and not union Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi.
The terminal was to be inaugurated July 14 in the presence of Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and his ministers. But the ministry’s announcement that the inauguration will be done by Ravi was opposed by the state government.
The state government, in the letter this week, said the foundation stone of the terminal was laid by Manmohan Singh on Nov 1, 2006, so it should also be inaugurated by him.
The state government has also said that the July 14 date for the inauguration is inconvenient as the chief minister and many of his colleagues are busy.
The present terminal caters to about 500 passengers at a time. The new terminal is expected to be able to handle up to 800 passengers. It will be a three-storied fully air-conditioned building with a floor area of 20,000 square metres. It is tubular in design and offers Wi-Fi connectivity to the passengers.