Kottayam: A vast stretch of abandoned paddy fields in the heart of Kottayam town will be brought under the plough after nearly dying out in the last three decades. A farmers' collective has started preparations for cultivating paddy on 250 acres of land. As many as 35 farmers are involved in the initiative and sowing will take place by mid-January.
The fields are at Poozhikkunnu and Muppayikkad in Eerayilkadavu. At present, they are being cleared of wild plants and levelled using four earthmovers and tractors.
The Water Resources Department has spent Rs 3 lakh for cleaning the Manipuzha canal passing adjacent to the paddy fields for irrigation. The canal starts from the Kodoor river near Eerayilkadavu, flows 2.5 km and joins the Kodoor river again at Kodimatha. The canal has enough water around the year, which would be a big advantage for the farming activities.
Now the municipality has to sanction money to set up electric posts in the paddy field and install motors to pump water.
Coordinator of the river linking project K Anil Kumar said that locating the over 50 persons who owned the lands in the field was a tough task. The Agriculture Department had placed advertisements in newspapers for the purpose, he said.
The Agriculture Department also identified 35 farmers who were willing to cultivate paddy on the land. They have been split into two groups for the farming activities.
Agencies involved in the revival project are Meenachil-Meenantha river linking project authorities, Agriculture Department, Water Resources Department, Haritha Kerala Mission and the municipality, along with the farmers’ collective.
As part of the project to encourage farming in fallow land, the Agriculture Department will grant an amount of Rs 25,000 per acre to the farmer and Rs 5,000 to the land owner. In addition, the seeds will be given to the farmers free of cost.
Ban on constructions
Meanwhile, complaints have been raised by the local people regarding the ban on construction work on the sides of the Manippuzha–Eerayilkadavu road which has been designated as a development corridor. The road was completed during the term of the previous UDF government and the owners who gave their land for the purpose were promised sanction to carry out construction later. But alleging that the present LDF government is not granting the necessary sanction, the land owners have approached the court.
