After a gap of eight years, paddy cultivation at the controversial Metran Kayal polder began on Thursday.
Tossing the seeds to the polder, a visibly elated Agriculture Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar made it clear that the LDF government would not allow anything other than paddy cultivation to be taken up at the Metran Kayal.
“This is an open declaration that the State government will not let off even a piece of agricultural land for non agriculture purpose. Now it is Metran Kayal, our next objective is R- Block,’’ Mr. Sunil Kumar said.
“If the company decides to put the land fallow, we will look into the possibility of assigning the Kudumbasree Mission with the job of taking up paddy cultivation at the kayal,” he said.
The Minister’s reference was to the Gulf-based company which has amassed 370 acres of the 400 odd acre polder for a tourism project. The Minister said the Kottayam District Collector had been asked to look into whether the corporate had breached the land ceiling as provided in the Kerala Land Reforms Act in its present form.
Mr. Sunil Kumar said the LDF after coming to power had been able to bring 5,967 acres of fallow land under paddy cultivation. The aim was to bring back paddy cultivation in 1,00,000 ha of fallow land in the next five years, he said. “We don’t need a development model which encourages conversion of paddy land,” the Minister said.
Kuzhiyil Karunakaran, a farmer who had fought a valiant battle against the conversion of the polder, held on to his few acres of land and brought together other farmers at the Metran Kayal, was honoured on the occasion with a ponnada.
Farming is now being taken up in 25 acres of the polder.
K. Suresh Kurup, MLA, presided. Raju Narayana Swamy, Agriculture Production Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Agriculture; District Collector C.A. Latha; Principal Agriculture Officer Suma Philip; district secretaries of CPI and CPI(M) C.K. Sasidharan and V.N. Vasavan respectively; district panchayat vice president Mary Sebastian; and others were present on the occasion.
