Plea against paddy land reclamation

The Kerala High Court on Friday asked the Ernakulam District Collector and the State government to respond to a petition against reclamation of a large extent of paddy land at Thiruvankulam, near here, for a music show by A.R. Rahman to be held on Saturday.

The petition was filed by Valsala Kunjamma, a resident at Thiruvankulam. According to her, the owners of the paddy lands near her residence had started filling the place using building waste and sand, without obtaining permission or sanction from the authorities. It was found on inquiry that the paddy land was being reclaimed for conducting the music show.

‘Illegal act’

Even a canal along the paddy field had been filled. The petitioner said that the reclamation and constructions work on the land were being carried out in violation of laws including the Kerala Land Conservancy Act and Kerala Conversion of Paddy Land and Wetland Act.

She also sought a directive to the District Collector to take steps to restore the reclaimed land to its original state.