Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president V.M. Sudheeran has refuted reports that the Congress-led Oommen Chandy government has decided to validate conversion of up to 10 acres of paddy land to facilitate private industrial investment.
Talking to reporters here on Friday, Mr. Sudheeran said he had spoken to Revenue Minister Adoor Prakash on the issue and was told that no such decision had been taken by the government. The reports, appearing in a section of the media, had suggested that the government was ready with an Ordinance to facilitate validation of paddy land conversion.
The government had earlier decided to allow validation of paddy land conversion carried out till 2008 for residential purposes for a fee. The proposal, contained in the 2015-'16 budget and Finance Bill, was approved by the Kerala Assembly, but has not been implemented as there has been no move to draft the necessary rules.
The KPCC president hoped that a solution would be found for the ongoing indefinite strike by plantation labourers across the State for higher wages, particularly the stir by women estate workers of Munnar. He lauded the efforts being made by the government to find a solution for the vexed issue and said further talks would be held in the coming days to end the stir.
