Kochi: They celebrated in style the success of their bid to resist the real estate sharks from filling over 300 acres of paddy field in the guise of development near the Kochi Metro Rail’s Muttom yard at Kalamassery. The real estate lobby had started the land filling operations which slowly caused death to small canals as well and hitting the ground water table.
A collective of nature lovers plunged into the task of saving the wetland by taking up the task of farming in five acre paddy field three months ago. The collective titled Vidakkuzha-Muttom Grama Krishi Samrakshana Samithi, formed by a group of about 200 youngsters, was amply supported by the natives and they chose the farm land that has been lying unused for years together. On Sunday they reaped a rich harvest and giving them company in the moment of joy was litterateur Prof M K Sanu.
Prof Sanu in his address bemoaned the degeneration happening all around. He said that the young generation has a responsibility to make the world a better place to live. Being one belonging to an era which enjoyed a better environment, it is painful for me to witness the premature death of our natural resources including paddy fields,’’ he said.
“We were apprehensive and decided to intervene as the real estate developers stepped on to the area that has been collecting and storing rain water and sustaining the ground water table for whole Kochi. It would be a great injustice to future generations if such storehouses of water are destroyed,” said Sherin Varghese, a member of the collective.
