Paddy Land Bill: Subject panel’s report tabled
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Assembly panel on Paddy and Wetland Act Amendment Bill 2016 has proposed not to touch the conversions and reclamations which were regularised as per the Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act 2008. Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan on Friday presented the report of the subject committee on the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland (Amendment) Bill 2016.
Chandrasekharan, chairman of the subject committee, tabled its report with the dissent note of three members. The panel, however, suggested a change in the amendment that those conversions or reclamations which were regularised as per the original Act will remain valid. Any legal proceedings or rights against such conversions or reclamations would not be affected with the new amendment.
The subject committee report was tabled with the dissent note of three members - Adoor Prakash, P B Abdul Razak and M Ummer. In their dissent note, they pointed out that Section 3 A was introduced in 2015 to regularise conversion or reclamation of paddy land undertaken before 2008 by recovering 25 per cent of the fair value of the land.
They further pointed out that many land portions which were reclaimed about 50-60 years back are still mentioned as paddy land in BTR. The 2015 amendment is applicable only to land converted prior to 2008. There are about 95,000 applications based on this amendment.