ISRO accepts land at Valiamala for Space Institute

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 27 (UNI) The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) today accepted the 70 acres of land at Valiamala, near here, offered by the Kerala Government for establishing the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology.

In an official letter to the State government, ISRO Chairman G Madhavan Nair said the land, along with 20 acres of land at the upper Sanatorium of Ponmudi hills was acceptable, sources in the Chief Minister's office said.

Mr Nair also asked the government to provide the land at the earliest so that works could be commenced.

Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan, after a Cabinet meeting, said the government would acquire private land near Valiamala if there was no adequate government land.

''We do not have much land in Valiamala. The Revenue department is looking into it. If enough Poromboke land is not found, then we will acquire private land and the government will pay for it,'' he said.

The Kerala government had agreed to allot 70 acres of land for free near the organisation's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) at Valiamala along with 20 acres at the upper sanatorium in Ponmudi to end the long drawn controversy regarding land allotment for the space institute.

UNI