Govt to start farming at Methran Kayal, Aranmula
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Thiruvananthapuram: The LDF government is planning to start farming on the controversial Methran Kayal and Aranmula airport lands, Minister for Agriculture V.S Sunil Kumar said on Monday.
Raju Narayanaswamy, secretary in the agriculture department, has been asked to submit a report on the feasibility of the project by June 17.
A team led by Minister V.S Sunil Kumar will also visit the Methran Kayal on June 17 as part of the initiative.
Congress leader T.P Prathapan has hailed the LDF government’s decision, saying the land associated with Santosh Madhavan in Puthanvelikkara should also be used for cultivation.
The UDF government’s order granting sanction to reclaim the wetland of Methran Kayal in Kumarakom for proposed eco-tourism purposes had kicked up a controversy. Following it, the Kerala High Court had directed the government to maintain status quo in the project.
Methran Kayal is spread across a vast area of 420 acres and is a part of the Vembanad lake. It is an enlisted Ramsar site and a protected wetland as per the Schedule of Wetland Conservation Rules 2010.
When it comes to the case of Aranmula airport, the Supreme Court had ratified the order of National Green Tribunal verdict declaring the project as violating all environmental requirements.
On May 25, 2015, the Ministry of Civil Aviation had withdrawn the ‘in-principle’ approval to the proposed airport project.
