The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests’ clearance for reclaiming paddy fields for the proposed Aranmula airport project has evoked sharp criticism from leaders of both ruling UDF and the Opposition LDF.
Environmental activists, political parties crossing party lines and religious organisations are against the airport project. “The permission granted by the Mo EF is suicidal and blatant violation of the heritage laws,” Kummanam Rajasekharan, general secretary of the Hindu Aikya Vedi, said.
‘No proper studies’
Activists said that the Assembly Committee on Environment had in its observation said that the Industries department had not conducted any geographical and environment impact assessment or held any discussions with allied departments before granting in-principle clearance to the airport project.
The chairman and a member of the committee said it was improper to go ahead with the project before conducting such studies. The committee said implementation of the project would destroy huge extent of paddy fields, drinking water resources, and the ecosystem.
They said conversion of vast stretches of paddy fields for the proposed project would lead to irrevocable environmental problems. Depletion of the groundwater table and pollution of wells has been reported from certain residential plots in the immediate vicinity of the already converted paddy fields, they said.
And yet, the MofEF has granted permission to fill vast stretches of paddy fields stating that there was no paddy cultivation for the past 10 years.
“No more reclamation of paddy fields in Aranmula would be allowed,” K. Haridas, Aranmula Heritage Village Action Council President said. “There is appears to be some lobby bent upon destroying the Heritage Village and its natural beauty by making a concrete jungle in the name of airport,” he alleged.
Controversy overAhluwalia’s remarks
The Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia's statements that Kerala should not worry about food security and since the State has shortage of land it should think of high-value projects rather than going for paddy cultivation has added fuel to the fire. Responding to this, veteran Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran alleged that the statement of Ahluwalia would only strengthen the hands of the land mafia.
Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly V S Achuthanandan alleged that there was some conspiracy behind the statement of the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, which emanated at time when the Emerging Kerala summit was under way here.
He warned that the attempt to reclaim the paddy fields in Aranmula for the proposed airport would not be allowed at any cost.