Thrissur: Environmentalists and wetland conservation activists from across the state will hold a convention here on Sunday demanding the scraping of the 2018 Kerala Conservation of Paddyland and Wetland Act (amendment). The convention will be attended by Tamil farmers’ leader P. Ayyakannu, MLA P.T. Thomas, Suresh Keezhattoor of ‘Vayalki-likal,’ actor Sreenivasan and writer Sarah Joseph. It comes in the wake of the demand for proper conservation of water following heavy floods and landslides in the state.
“With the Assembly passing the Bill for amending the original Act of 2008, there is a flurry of applications to reclaim paddy fields in the possession of big business houses. The plan is to fill up vast stretches of paddy fields in the name of ‘public interest’ citing section 10 of the amendment,” Prof Kusu-mam Joseph, one of the organisers, said.
The convention would also discuss the possibilities of approaching the High Court for doing away with the amendment.
“The LDF government had come up with the historic Kerala Conservation of Paddyland and Wetland Act in 2008 during the regime of V.S. Achuthanandan. But this amendment is with an eye on reclamation of paddy fields across the state under the pretext that private projects are in ‘public interest’. And section 10 of the amendment will be utilized for it,” another organiser and activist T.K. Vasu said.
The convention will be held at Costford Hall at Ayyanthole from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
