Court orders probe into paddy field reclamation for Aranmula airport

Kochi, Nov. 22:  

The vigilance court at Kottayam on Thursday ordered an inquiry into reclamation of the paddy fields in Aranmula for a proposed airport project.

The court on a petition filed by Kummanam Rajasekharan, patron of Aranmula Heritage Village Action Council (AHVAC), has directed the Chief Vigilance Commissioner to conduct an inquiry and submit the report to the court before March 14.

Rajasekharan told Business Line that AHVAC had approached the court following inaction from the government on recommendations of the Commissioner of the Kerala Land Revenue Board against officials responsible for illegal reclamation of the paddy fields in the areas under their official jurisdiction.

About 52 acres of paddy field and part of a stream have been illegally reclaimed, he said.

A Chennai-based group is in the process of setting up of a greenfield airport in Aranmula at an estimated cost of Rs 2,000 crore by reclaiming paddy fields and wetlands in the area.

Genesis of controversy

According to environmental activists, the row over the proposed private airport project erupted nine years ago when the Kadammanitta-based Mount Zion Educational Trust proposed to set up of an airstrip as part of an Aeronautical Engineering course at its engineering college.

“The Trust had purchased a large extent of waterlogged paddy fields (puncha) at Aranmula and had illegally converted it by bulldozing a hill located on its boundary.”

A portion of the natural stream cutting across the Aranmula puncha and a vast expanse of the paddy field was also illegally converted by the private party in the name of the proposed airport project, they said.

Political leaders such as MPs and MLAx had appealed to the people to “adopt a realistic approach” claiming that an airport would “change the face of Pathanamthitta district.”

However, the public is against it and launched agitations under the banner of AHVAC, saying “setting up of the proposed greenfield airport on 500 acres of land” after evicting an estimated 3,000 families and reclaiming paddy fields would destroy many of the characters that had qualified it to become the heritage village.”

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