Wednesday, January 16, 2013

CPI(M) continues land struggle in Aranmula


Pathanamthitta: The Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Kerala Karshaka Sanghom, and the Kerala State Karshaka Thozhilali Union have decided not to call back their agitating workers from the Aranmula puncha (paddy land) and to continue their struggle against conversion of ecologically sensitive paddy land and wetland and against the move to evict people in the name of a private airport project at the disputed site.
As many as 248 landless families of the KSKTU-Karshaka Sanghom workers are camping in make-shift sheds at the disputed site as part of the agitation.
CPI(M) district secretary K. Ananthagopan and Karshaka Sanghom district president Omalloor Sankaran said that there was no question of retreating from the ongoing land struggle at Aranmula as it involved grave socio-environmental and legal issues.
Mr. Sankaran and Mr. Ananthagopan told The Hindu that the ongoing agitation at Aranmula was against the “State-sponsored anti-environment, anti-farming, and anti-people activities” taking place in the guise of a private airport project.
They alleged that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had taken personal interest in supporting the land mafia as well as the controversial airport project, disregarding its far-reaching negative impacts on this agrarian belt, identified as the riparian floodplain areas of the Pampa.
17/01/13 The Hindu
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