Thiruvananthapuram: The LDF government plans to utilise the controversial Methran Kayal and the Aranmula land proposed for the airport project for paddy cultivation. Agriculture Minister V. S. Sunil Kumar has asked agriculture secretary Raju Narayana Swami to file a report on its feasibility before June 17.
The previous UDF government granted permission to reclaim the Methran Kayal towards the fag end of its tenure. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had appointed a cabinet sub-committee to probe the controversial decisions taken by the UDF government. Mr Sunil Kumar is expected to visit Methran Kayal on June 17.
“The government’s stand is that the land suitable for agriculture should not be used for other purposes. The former LDF government had also taken a similar stand. Further steps will be taken after getting the report,” Mr Sunil Kumar told reporters in Thrissur. Changes would be made in the paddy reclamation Act of 2008. The agriculture secretary would also probe the legal aspects of the case regarding Methran Kayal.
During the previous LDF government’s tenure, the then agriculture minister Mullakkara Ratnakaran had objected to the decision to cultivate paddy at Methran Kayal and Aranmula after the industries department mooted it then. A minimum of 50, 000 hectares of land at Methran Kayal and the abandoned area for Aranmula airport can be utilized for paddy cultivation, according to the minister.
