THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Opposition raised a number of objections to amendments proposed in the principal Act that was passed in 2008. Prominently, the clause which allows the government to grant exemptions from the Act’s provisions for reclaiming land for ‘any public purpose’ is fraught with ambiguity and could be exploited in future, the UDF alleged. Instead, the Opposition suggested that ‘public’ be replaced with ‘central/state government, LSG or quasi-government projects.’
Again, Section 3 which allows the government to farm paddy on fallow land even without the consent of the owner was unconstitutional, the UDF alleged. Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan, who denied this, justified the decision saying the owner would be given due notice to either farm the land himself or allow farm cooperatives, Kudumbashree or LSG agencies to farm it. The ownership remained with him/her, he said.
Section 27 (A) which governs the ‘change of nature of unnotified land’ would only lead to more legal tangles and corruption as a foolproof data bank is not yet ready, the UDF alleged.
Accusing the Opposition of not acknowledging the emerging needs of the public, the Chief Minister said that the amendments would enable the government to achieve the paddy cultivation target of three lakh hectares and 10 lakh tonnes. While protecting paddy cultivation, it would also enable the government to spur on projects beneficial to the public.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala accused the LDF Government of destroying the essence of the Kerala Paddy Land and Wetland Conservation Act passed by the V S Achuthanandan Government in 2008. The present amendments would lead to corruption, nepotism and rampant destruction of the environment, he alleged. For environmentalists, it was a ‘black law,’ he said.According to Chennithala, the amendments would serve only to erase the remaining wetland and paddy land resources of the state. “The Bill will speed up the destruction of the remaining paddy fields,” he said.He also blamed the CPI of falling into the trap set by the CPM.