Standing knee-deep in mud with ploughs in their hands, they have taken to the agrarian route for a cause.
Muttom in Kalamassery is witnessing a unique fight to restore one of the largest freshwater ecosystems in the district through paddy farming.
Aimed at drawing attention to the unbridling levelling of paddy fields, a group of about 200 youngsters has begun cultivating paddy at a five-acre field in the neighbourhood of the proposed coach yard of the Kochi metro rail here.
The farmers, under the aegis of Vidakkuzha-Muttom Grama Krishi Samrakshana Samithi, tilled the land in the traditional manner, bringing a pair of oxen, and, ploughed and sowed seeds. The land, which has been lying fallow for years, was planted with paddy saplings and the first crop is set to be harvested after 80 days.
“The metro agencies and the real-estate lobby are carrying out land filling operations citing the reason that the area has become uncultivable. About 50 acres have already been reclaimed. Our attempt is to prevent them from acquiring more area this way,” said Martin Gopurathinkal, who leads the initiative.
According to him, the real estate developers were engaged in flattening large swathes of the nearly 300-acres of Chavarpadam and Kattayipadam farmlands under the guise of metro rail works to cash in on the real estate boom. The land filling operations, which caused obstructions in the natural drainage network at various points, has taken a toll on the groundwater table. “The area, which once served as a water harvesting ground for the whole of Kochi city and a couple of its suburbs, is now reeling under severe drought even before the onset of summer. This shows the seriousness of the situation,” Mr. Martin added.
Besides drought, the reclamation of land had also resulted in water-clogging during the previous monsoon, prompting the authorities to clean up the natural drains in the area, in addition to constructing new canals to accommodate the water flowing to the low-lying region.
The group, which comprises IT professionals, businessmen, doctorate-holders and students, took to zero-budget paddy cultivation as a proactive way of checking mindless urbanisation.