Thiruvananthapuram: MP Shashi Tharoor’s intervention in Lok Sabha earlier this week demanding central funds for the conservation of Vellayani Lake was stonewalled with replies that the state government had not demanded funds. Meanwhile, here, the delays to compensate farmers who own land inside Vellayani Lake has stalled all holistic conservation efforts. As per estimates, the lake which was 756 hectares in 1926 has been reduced to 400 acres by 2016.
A few months ago, the district administration submitted a detailed project report on the rehabilitation package to acquire the land that has been submerged under Vellayani Lake. The government continues to sit on the project. Around 625 farmers own 87.19 hectares of land in Vellayani which continues to remain submerged under the lake. The government had given away over 200 acres of land with title deeds in 1957, 1967 and 1977 in order to promote paddy cultivation (puncha krishi) in the district. Later, paddy cultivation stopped and most of the land got submerged under water.
Around 33 encroachments totalling around 1.9 acre were detected under the lake. “The owners of the land also include people who harbour a belief that they will be able to build a resort around the lake. The government should claim back the land and completely bio-fence the lake,” said an activist and a former district panchayat member. “Vellayani remains the single-most reason for the district becoming self-sufficient in Lotus production during the festival season. However, the alarming level of cultivation is killing the lake,” he added.
