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Wayanad : The Wayanad Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi has demanded that govt abandon the proposed Cheekkalloor airstrip project, which affects more than 1,000 families and disrupts the ecological balance of Wayanad. They said the project would reclaim up to 500 acres of paddy fields by razing hills and destroy the water availability not only in the district but also in some areas in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Of the 500 acres of land required for the airstrip, more than half are paddy fields. Those who insist on having an airstrip in Wayanad should try to find a suitable location among the 1,60,000 acres of land available in various plantations in Wayanad over which the high court and Supreme Court have ruled that govt has full ownership and that the present occupants have only the right to cultivate and should strive for development that does not ruin the land, it said.
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If an attempt is made to impose the project without respecting public sentiment, it would be fought and defeated by standing with the farmers, the samithi said. It is alarming that the chamber of commerce, the agriculture minister, the land mafia and real estate overseers have activated a conspiracy for a project that is unlikely to bring any benefit to Wayanad, the samithi alleged. However, following strong opposition from public, the then chief minister V S Achyuthanandan visited the site and halted the project. Vested interests should withdraw from the attempt to once again impose this project on people. They are preparing for a blatant violation of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy land and wetland Act, it alleged. These paddy fields are the foundation of Wayanad’s water security. The Cheekkalloor region is also the vital centre of dairy farming. For cattle rearing, which is the sole source of income for hundreds of farmers, the destruction of these fields would be a death knell, the samithi warned. Download the TOI App.
Govt had attempted to implement the project earlier also.