The Hindu, March 6, 2016
Thiruvananthapuram:
Thiruvananthapuram:
Clearances accorded by the Revenue Department for
reclaiming 420 acres of Methran Kayal backwater paddy fields at
Kumarakom village in Kottayam taluk and 47 acres of paddy field at
Kadamakkudy grama panchayat in Ernakulam district for private ventures
have triggered a row.
The order for reclaiming 420
acres of paddy field for an eco tourism project was issued on March 1
and for the 47 acres was issued on March 2. The first order says that
the company, Rakindo Kumarakom Resort Private Limited had purchased 378
acres paddy fields in the name of 34 subsidiary companies under its
ambit in 2007-08 and there was no cultivation since 2007.
The
company had submitted the Kumarakom Tourist Resort Village project to
the government in 2009 and it was cleared too. Since there were some
ecological problems, certain changes were made in the project to make it
more eco-friendly by adding farm tourism and allied projects.
The
order says that the new project was found to be more eco-friendly and
paddy cultivation was not possible in the current context.
The
new project was expected to bring in investment to the tune of Rs.2,200
crore and help to register the presence of Kerala’s tourism sector in
the international circuit.
Hence, it has directed the District Collector to consider the project.
Second order
The
second order for the setting up a super-speciality hospital which was
projected to bring in investment worth Rs.1,000 crore and create 7,000
job opportunities on completion.
Though the
government had claimed that both projects would not go against the
provisions of the paddy field and wetland conservation Acts, the alleged
haste shown by the government for pushing the proposals just before the
declaration of the election notification had come in for criticism.
For, this is feared to have serious ecological ramifications and also
hamper the steps claimed to have been initiated by the government for
conserving wetlands and paddy fields.
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