Kozhikode: A team of officials from the union ministry of forests, environment and climate change on Thursday examined the agrarian village of Keezhattoor near Taliparamba where the farmers are fighting against the alignment for the National Highway bypass. The team headed by John Thomas, research officer of the department at Bengaluru, will continue the study till Friday noon, according to officials.
The team which arrived at Keezhattoor in the morning interacted with farmers and collected reports prepared by various organisations. Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad, Malabar Paristhithi Samrakshana Samithy, SEEK (Society for Environmental Education in Kerala), the environmental organization based at Payyannur and Vayalkkilikal, the farmers’ movement demanding conservation of paddy field, submitted reports to the team.
The team also interacted with Suresh Keezhattoor, leader of Vayalkkilikal, the action council of farmers, and also with Kummanam Rajasekharan, BJP state president. The team accompanied by officials of National Highway Authority and state department of agriculture would also collect details from Taliparambu municipality and other local bodies. Suresh Keezhattoor told Deccan Chronicle that they were hopeful of a solution to the issue. “We have submitted all the details to them and we also would help the team gather evidence and crosscheck details submitted by us,” he added.
