Revenue officials stop illegal wetland conversion in Ernakulam

Revenue officials on Friday stopped unauthorised filling up of a wetland at Moolepadam in Vazhakkala here.

The vehicle used for filling the land was also taken into custody and handed over to the police, as it was found to have been engaged without the requisite pass. Action was taken by a team led by Kanayannur tahsildar Ranjith George and comprising deputy tahsildar T.K. Babu, village officer C. Indulekha, and village field assistant K.A. Beena.

The move comes in the wake of an order from District Collector Jafar Malik and Fort Kochi Sub Collector P. Vishnuraj to crack down on illegal landfilling of vacant plots in Kakkanad and nearby areas. Revenue officials are closely vetting cases in which wetlands were found categorised as dry land in documents. If proved to be unauthorised conversion, steps will be taken to restore them to their original state.

A special team has been formed to act against illegal conversion of wetlands across villages. The team is functioning in liaison with the police. Public can inform the tahsildar if they come across what is suspected to be illegal conversions.