Cultivated land cannot be considered as EFL, says Minister

November 11, 2011 09:10 pm | Updated 09:10 pm IST - KATTAPPANA

Cultivated land cannot be considered as Ecologically Fragile Land (EFL) and it is to harm the interest of the farmers in the district, Finance Minister and Kerala Congress (Mani) chairman K.M. Mani has said.

Addressing the valedictory function of the Farmers' Rights Declaration Convention organised by the Karshaka Union here on Friday, Mr Mani said that the government fully supported the interest of the farmers in Idukki district who had toiled for its over-all development and will oppose any move to give cultivated area the EFL status. A commission is for declaring cultivated areas in Devikulam, Udumbanchola and Peerumade taluks as forest areas and it will harm the interest of the farmers, he said and added that the United Democratic Front government stands for the protection of the farmers' right.

He said that it is a declared stand of the government to give all settlers prior to 1-1-1977 in the district condition free title deeds. He claimed that it was the government led by K.Karunakaran, that issued title deeds to 28,000 farmers in the district. ``It was a right move in the direction of protecting the farmers interest and the Supreme Court order that there were no irregularities in the steps taken for issuing the title deed proved it,'' he said.

Once these areas are given EFL status and become part of the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats, no construction is possible, he said and added that how it could be justified to give EFL status as the areas had been under cultivation for years. He said that there was no sensitive areas in cultivated land and the farmers should be given the condition-free title deeds. Mr Mani said that he had strongly opposed when the proposal for EFL status came and it was for the protection of the farmers that a pension scheme was introduced in the last budgets and the farmers will also made available loans at an interest rate as low as two perecent, he said. Insurance scheme for the farmers has been introduced and the government is keen to solve the land related issues in the district. For the complete development of the district, it cannot be possible for single term of the government, he said and added that special attention is given for the district to shed its tag as a backward district. Water Resources Minister P.J.Joseph, Jose K.Mani MP and Roshy Augustine MLA also attended the function.

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