The Communist Party of India (CPI) launched an indefinite stir against paddy field conversion in the Upper Kuttanad region on Wednesday.
Party workers led by district unit secretary A.P. Jayan blocked the conversion of paddy fields at Niranom panchayat on the day.
Mr. Jayan said 60 cents of paddy land near the Kattunilathu church at Niranom had already been converted with the connivance of Revenue officials and the police. Revenue Divisional Officer A. Gopakumar had prohibited paddy land conversion by invoking the relevant provisions of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act 2008, he said.
The villagers said the land owner managed to convert 60 cents with the help of goonda elements, after threatening those who opposed the illegal activity.
Paddy cultivation in the district was effective only in the Upper Kuttanad villages of Niranom, Kadapra, Peringara, and Nedumpram.
It was of prime importance to strive for the sustenance of the paddy sector in the region, Mr. Jayan said.
There were reports of rice adulterated with plastic being pushed in the market.
