PIRAVOM: Aggressive excavation of soil for brick making and illegal brick-making units in Piravom panchayat have hit the agricultural sector. Hundreds of acres of fertile paddy fields have turned barren. The owners of the brick units have violated the revenue and mining and geology department norms.
The paddy fields have been dug without adhering to the parameters set by the department. After two or three years they collect reports from the agriculture department to prove that the land was unused for cultivation and reclaimed.
This is the regular practice of the brick owners, said M P Thomas, a resident of Kalamboor.
The land mafia bend the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act 2008 to their convenience, he alleged. Their aim is to fill the wetlands. Most of the barren lands were included in the draft data bank list of the agriculture department,” he said. Agriculture assistant director Mercy Joseph said, “The department is evaluating the draft data bank list and after looking into the complaints will publish the final list,” she said.
Agriculture was the main source of income of the panchayat earlier. Pazhoor, Mulakulam and Kalamboor ‘puncha’ contributed much to the economy of the panchayat. Thousands of people made a living with it. Now Kalamboor and Pazhoor ‘puncha’ have been abandoned. “People from various parts of the state have set up brick units in the clay-rich panchayat with its proximity to the Muvattupuzha river. More than 25 to 30 units are functioning in the paddy fields,” Thomas said.
The brick units cause serious environmental problems. “The kilns are burnt using plastic, tyres, wood and other waste materials which pollutes the atmosphere and I am suffering from asthma now,” said K K Balakrishnan who lives close to Kalamboor puncha. “Three brick units function in front of his house. Huge sheets of plastic used to cover the bricks are thrown in the field after use.
The temporary shelters of the labourers are made of plastic sheets, which are also thrown into the paddy field,” Balakrishnan said.