Calling on the authorities to clear concerns of local farmers of Keezhattur here on the proposed bypass on the National Highway on the basis of scientific information, the Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP) has said that construction activities in the area will irrevocably destroy the paddy fields in the area.
In a release here on Tuesday, the KSSP said the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) estimated that 19 hectares of paddy fields would be reclaimed for the bypass road. This would lead to the disappearance of the remaining paddy fields. Construction activities and demolition of hills for soil to reclaim the fields would further cause environmental degradation, it said.
The bypass issue has drawn protests from the local residents who are now agitating against the bypass alignment, alleging that it will destroy the paddy fields and their livelihood.
The controversial alignment was reportedly prepared by the NHAI after the earlier alignment that would require rehabilitation of scores of families had triggered local protests.
Stating that the development of the NH is essential in the context of increasing vehicle density in the State, the KSSP said that if the earlier alignment was selected, 107 houses had to be demolished, while the proposed new alignment would require demolition of 42 houses.
The KSSP proposed acquisition of land in built-in area by paying adequate compensation for the rehabilitation of the families. If the authorities take the easy route of acquiring ecologically important land, it would be a heavy loss for the current and next generations, it said.
The KSSP proposed that the NHAI examine all the proposed alignments for bypass development and prepare a feasibility report.
