Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samithi urges the State to drop the Cheekkalloor airstrip on 500 acres of paddy
21 October 2026
The Wayanad Prakruthi Samrakshana Samithi has urged the Kerala government to abandon the proposed airstrip at Cheekkalloor (also spelt Cheekkallur) in Wayanad.
It said about 500 acres of paddy fields would be lost, and the land would have to be raised by 6.5 metres.
About 50 Adivasi families once displaced by the Karapuzha dam project could be displaced again.
The group warned that filling the Cherupuzha, which flows through the tract, would affect the Kabani river.
An earlier attempt to build the airstrip was halted more than a decade ago after protests.
Paddy land:
about 500 acres
Land to be raised:
6.5 metres
Adivasi families at risk:
about 50
Why it matters for exams: Wayanad's paddy wetlands, the Kabani river and the conservation of paddy land are recurring Kerala PSC environment topics.
Kerala PSCUPSC