The ongoing public agitation against the proposal to construct a private international airport, converting the water-rich Aranmula Puncha (paddy fields) and wetlands in Aranmula should be viewed as a crucial people’s movement to protect the remaining paddy fields and wetlands in the State, said former Agriculture Minister, Mullakkara Ratnakaran, MLA.
Mr Ratnakaran was inaugurating the day-long fast of 101 Bharatiya Kheth Mazdoor Union (BKMU) attached to Communist Party of India, protesting against conversion of paddy fields and wetland in the name of a private airport project at Aranmula on Thursday.
He alleged that the anti-nature attitude and approach towards development in the modern times have already started its far-reaching negative impacts on the environment and nature.
The Left Democratic Front Government had enacted the Kerala Conservation of Paddyland and Wetland Act in 2008 at a time the land under paddy cultivation in the State had gone even below 2 lakh ha with the sole intention of checking conversion and misuse of paddy fields and wetlands, he said.
Declining paddy cultivation
According to him, Kerala requires paddy cultivation in not less than 8 lakh ha in order to ensure adequate drinking water availability and food security. The previous LDF Government had successfully launched cultivation in as much as 1600 acres of paddy fields that have been lying fallow for one or the other reason in Pathanamthitta alone, he said.
As per the Act, illegal conversion of paddy fields and wetland is a criminal act. The conversion of such a vast expanse of paddy field, wetland and natural streams at Aranmula amounted to gross violation of the prevailing laws of the land, he alleged.
Government, CM criticised
Coming down heavily on the reported stand adopted by the Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, that the notification declaring the three villages of Aranmula, Mallappuzhasserry and Kidangannur and setting up of the KGS Aranmula Greenfield Airport Single Window Clearance Board was taken place during the previous LDF rule, the former Agriculture Minister said it was the duty and responsibility of the successor Government to correct the mistakes, if any, of the predecessor Government and withdraw the notification with out any further delay.
Relevance of another airport
Mr Ratnakaran said it was beyond his comprehension as to what prompted the Government as well as the supporters of the proposed airport project for setting up the same in a village like Aranmula that still holds the serenity, simplicity and culture of a typical Kerala village?
Mr Ratnakaran has called for a comprehensive inquiry, covering various aspects, that include the notification issued by the Industries department, keeping the affected people in the dark, illegal conversion of paddy fields and natural streams, concealing various crucial information while submitting the Environment Impact Assessment Report to the Union Government, etc.
Agitation justified
The CPI leader said the State Government and the Chief Minister are not supposed to run away from their responsibility to protect the interests of the common people. He has termed the ongoing agitation against the airport project as the responsibility of the common people to protect the paddy fields and wetland that have been a crucial drinking water source in the region, especially at a time when the authorities concerned failed to act.
Past, present and future
Mr Ratnakaran said life is intensely related to past, present and the future and protecting the nature is the responsibility of the present with a mission to link the past and the future.
Launching cultivation in fallow lands and extending every possible support to the farmers would check suicides among the debt-ridden farmers, instilling self-confidence in them, he added.
K.Somarajan, BKMU district president, presided the inaugural function and Chengara Surendran welcomed the gathering. P.Prasad, CPI district secretary and M.V.Vidyadharan, assistant secretary also spoke.
Mr Ratnakaran, accompanied by CPI district leaders, visited the illegally converted portion of the Aranmula paddy fields, latter.
The MLA said he would raise the issue in the next Assembly session and CPI would continue the agitation with added vigour and that too in a non-violent manner.
