The government should not pilot a Bill to amend the Kerala Paddy and Wetland Conservation Act in the Assembly on Monday, Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala has said.
Passing of the Bill would result in loss of paddy fields and wetlands. Apart from paddy fields, wetlands and ordinary land, the Bill has included a new category, unnotified land. This would help the real estate lobby access all categories of land.
The amendment seeks to scrap the powers of the regional committees to grant permission for filling paddy fields for construction and other purposes. The new Bill provides scope for private companies too to fill paddy fields if it is for public purpose, he said.
Sudheeran’s demand
Former KPCC president V.M. Sudheeran wrote to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that the amendments would defeat the purpose of the Act unanimously passed in 2008. Paddy cultivation was already facing a crisis in the State.
Against a demand for 45 lakh tonnes, the State was producing only 6 lakh tonnes of rice. The government was trying to increase production and on the other hand reducing the area of land under cultivation. This was a paradox, he said.