Opposition walks out over reclamation of paddy field at Kunnathunad

It has been around five months after the issue came to the light following which the Revenue Minister issued a directive freezing the reclamation order.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Opposition on Wednesday cornered the ruling side in the House over the illegal reclamation of 5.8365 ha of paddy field at Kunnathunad, violating the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act- 2008 and a report submitted by the Ernakulam District Collector. V P Sajeendran MLA, who moved an adjournment motion on the illegal reclamation of the paddy field and subsequent silence of the government on the issue, said the House should discuss the matter as the government failed to take action against officers who gave nod for reclamation of the land overruling the report of the Collector. 

It has been around five months after the issue came to the light following which the Revenue Minister issued a directive freezing the reclamation order. But the state is yet to cancel the order issued by the then additional chief secretary of the Revenue Department or launch an investigation into the circumstances which led to such a situation, he said.

Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said the government had issued the order overruling objections raised by the District Collector was a clear violation of section 13 of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy and Wetlands Act. It is clear who had intervened in the issue and issued an order swiftly by recalling the file sent to the legal department. This is not the first time the Chief Minister is intervening in the affairs of the Revenue Department. Moreover, the Revenue Minister has no control over the matters in the department, he said. 

Replying to the allegation, Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan said the department has frozen the reclamation order and sought legal opinion to know whether the order was a violation of the Act. But the Opposition accused that the minister was trying to buy time by seeking legal opinion again. There is no need to go for legal scrutiny as a sane person can easily find that the reclamation order is a violation of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy and Wetlands Act. Later the Opposition members walked out of the House when the Speaker denied permission for the adjournment motion. 

NH priority issue: State to ask MPs to put pressure on Centre
T’Puram:  As confusion prevails over the inclusion of the four/six-laning of National Highway (NH) 66 in the state in the High Priority-I list, the state government has decided to raise the matter in the ensuing MPs conference. And sources reveal that the government had arrived at this decision after neither the National Highway Authority of India nor the Ministry of Road Transport Highways came out with a formal assurance of changing the priority status of the state from High Priority- II list to High Priority-I list. 

MLA comes out against revenue ministry
T’Puram: Devikulam MLA S Rajendran has said the RDO and Wild Life warden were creating new laws in Munnar and that those officers were apparently above the legislative assembly.  He said that the government and revenue ministry should be serious in dealing with this matter. He said that bureaucrats should be working for the people and not the other way around. 

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