ALAPPUZHA : Paddy cultivation in R Block, the reclaimed island in Vembanad lake, was stopped in 2011 after land disputes. Seven years since, most of the residents have migrated uplands abandoning homes. In its hay day, more than 450 people from 130 families lived in the outer bunds and the inner side of R Block, the 5 sq km reclaimed island in Kainakari panchayat. Over the years, the number of families has dwindled down to 31. After the floods, they have all been shifted to various relief camps.
“I lived in the middle of the island,” said Harilal, a former resident. “To catch a boat to Kottayam or Alappuzha, we had to walk for more than 30 minutes to reach the outer bund. Erratic boat services by the State Water Transport Department meant we couldn’t go for a job outside the island. We couldn’t even send our children to schools and colleges. So I abandoned my house and shifted to a rented house in Alappuzha municipality. There are more than 23 houses in the middle of the island. People have abandoned their houses and now stay in rented houses elsewhere,” he said.
Kainakari panchayat member Suseela Babu said the Agriculture Department started pumping out water this year after the floods. “For the past many years, farmers had abandoned paddy cultivation in R Block. With many houses under water, they are on the verge of destruction. The massive floods submerged houses completely. We shifted all people to relief camps and the department started to pump out water,” said Suseela. “Paddy cultivation is a must for the existence of people of the island.”
Most of the dwellers in the island are tenants who had reached the bunds for farming half-a-century ago. Five to 10 cents of land allotted by the landlords then are their only property.Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar, who visited the island last year, had assured resuming of farming in R Block. But nothing has happened.
The land in R Block is in dispute over a loan fraud that happened over a decade ago. Farmers had taken loans from the Kuttamangalam Cooperative Bank which sold the land to private parties without the knowledge of landowners. The matter is now in court