Kozhikode: With the Airport Authority of India zeroing in on around 300 acres of paddy fields and wetlands around Panamaram and Kaniampatta villages in Wayanad for the proposed feeder airport,the largest remaining paddy cluster in Wayanad is under threat of getting devoured by the project.
The move has drawn the ire of farmers and environmentalists alike,who warn that filling up the paddy fields,would worsen the already grave agrarian crisis in the district and would wreak havoc on the biodiversity-rich spot.
KSIDC has recently invited expression of interest for techno economic feasibility study and environmental impact assessment for the airport.The tender document states that as per preliminary feasibility study by Airports Authority of India the site identified at Panamaram was found suitable for the project.
Apart from being the rice granary of the agrarian district,the area also houses the largest heronry in the district and is a breeding ground of migratory birds.
The adjoining panchayats of Panamaram and Kaniyambatta on the banks of Cherupuzha river have been the rice bowl areas of the district,accounting for the major share of the paddy cultivation.In 2012,the area had contributed 526 tonnes of a total of 2,000 tonnes paddy procured by the government from the district.
The farmers in the region are planning to launch an agitation against setting up the airport on prime agriculture land.The area is home to the largest paddy cluster in Wayanad and plays a crucial role in the water security of Wayanad.Even as farmers across the state and elsewhere in the district migrated to cash crops,we kept the fields intact.Not even a single cent of land is left fallow in the area, said E N Gopalakrishnan,president of the forum forum formed to protect agricultural land at Cheekkalloor.
Meanwhile,district collector K Gopalakrishna Bhat said that it was impossible to get non- agricultural land in Wayanad for such a project.We had suggested three locations to AAI for setting up the project and they have identified the site at Panamaram as the appropriate one after a pre-feasibility study, he said. http://mobiletoi.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=6§id=edid=&edlabel=TOIKRKO&mydateHid=08-02-2013&pubname=Times+of+India+-+Kochi&edname=&articleid=Ar00602&publabel=TOI
The move has drawn the ire of farmers and environmentalists alike,who warn that filling up the paddy fields,would worsen the already grave agrarian crisis in the district and would wreak havoc on the biodiversity-rich spot.
KSIDC has recently invited expression of interest for techno economic feasibility study and environmental impact assessment for the airport.The tender document states that as per preliminary feasibility study by Airports Authority of India the site identified at Panamaram was found suitable for the project.
Apart from being the rice granary of the agrarian district,the area also houses the largest heronry in the district and is a breeding ground of migratory birds.
The adjoining panchayats of Panamaram and Kaniyambatta on the banks of Cherupuzha river have been the rice bowl areas of the district,accounting for the major share of the paddy cultivation.In 2012,the area had contributed 526 tonnes of a total of 2,000 tonnes paddy procured by the government from the district.
The farmers in the region are planning to launch an agitation against setting up the airport on prime agriculture land.The area is home to the largest paddy cluster in Wayanad and plays a crucial role in the water security of Wayanad.Even as farmers across the state and elsewhere in the district migrated to cash crops,we kept the fields intact.Not even a single cent of land is left fallow in the area, said E N Gopalakrishnan,president of the forum forum formed to protect agricultural land at Cheekkalloor.
Meanwhile,district collector K Gopalakrishna Bhat said that it was impossible to get non- agricultural land in Wayanad for such a project.We had suggested three locations to AAI for setting up the project and they have identified the site at Panamaram as the appropriate one after a pre-feasibility study, he said. http://mobiletoi.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=6§id=edid=&edlabel=TOIKRKO&mydateHid=08-02-2013&pubname=Times+of+India+-+Kochi&edname=&articleid=Ar00602&publabel=TOI
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