The Agriculture department has decided to convert 2.4 acres of paddy land in Ramanattukara municipality in Kozhikode district for the construction of a playground. The order was issued based on a cabinet decision. The decision has been made overruling the report of the state-level committee, which said that the land identified for playground construction is a wetland, and if permission is granted for reclamation, it will lead to disastrous ecological consequences and will cause drinking water shortage in this place and neighbouring areas.

The committee member who inspected the site also recommended that the government shall take steps to resume paddy cultivation in this land and that no permit can be issued for the conversion of paddy land.

The Public Works and Tourism departments, however, reported against the recommendation of the state-level committee and reported that a stadium at Ramanattukara has been a long pending demand of the residents, and there was no other playground in the nearby areas. The cabinet note on granting exemption under the Paddy and Wetland Conservation Act had the approval of Agriculture Minister P Prasad, as per the documents.

The state government decided to grant an exemption under the relevant provisions of the act with the condition that the Kozhikode District collector shall comply with all conditions to conserve the environment while the paddy land is converted for a public purpose. As per the act's provisions, the Government may grant exemption only if such conversion or reclamation is essential for any public purpose. The Government may grant such exemption after considering the report of the State Level Committee, if in its opinion, such conversion or reclamation will not adversely affect the cultivation of paddy in the adjoining paddy lands, if any, and free flow of water, the act says.The Government shall ensure suitable water conservancy measures and if the area of such parcel of land where the exemption is granted is more than 20.2 ares, ten per cent of such land shall be set apart for water conservancy measures.

As per the latest economic review report, in 2023-24, the area under rice cultivation (wetland) in the state decreased to 1.8 lakh hectares, showing a decrease of 5.9 per cent compared to 2022-23. The production and productivity of wetland rice in 2023-24 was 5.3 lakh tonnes and 2,963 kg per hectare, respectively. They registered a decrease of 10.5 per cent and 4.9 per cent, respectively, over 2022-23.

Over 10,000 hectares of paddy land were converted in Kerala for residential and other non-agricultural purposes in six years, fetching the revenue department a total revenue of Rs 1606.9 crore as land conversion fee, according to the figures furnished in the assembly