Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Rights panel stays move to reclaim lake

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JAN. 27. The State Human Rights Commission has stayed the Government move to promote paddy farming on a portion of the Vellayani Lake. At a sitting today, the Commission member S. Varghese issued a directive keeping the Government order in abeyance till further orders.

The Commission also appointed C. Sundaresan, Dean, Faculty of Agriculture, College of Agriculture, Vellayani as a commission to study the problems related to the Vellayani Lake and the steps to preserve it as a freshwater resource.

The case has been posted to March.

Earlier this month, the panel had initiated proceedings against the controversial move after residents in the neighbourhood of the lake launched a resistance movement. According to Mr. Varghese, the Government decision could be construed as a violation of human rights since it had the potential to affect freshwater supply to the Kalliyoor, Venganoor and Vizhinjam panchayats as well as a part of the City Corporation. The Agriculture Secretary, Water Resources Secretary and the District Collector were directed to submit a report on the issue. The Commission later visited the areas around the lake to make an on- the-spot assessment of the situation.

Local people are up in arms against the Government decision to resume paddy farming after draining large portions of the lake which is one of the three major freshwater resources in the State.

Mangalapuram issue

The Commission today directed the State Pollution Control Board to submit a report on the mining activities in the suburban Mangalapuram panchayat.

The panel also decided to add two more members to the committee set up to study the problems caused by mining. The new members are V.R. Prakasam, Reader, Department of Environmental Sciences, Kerala University and P.T. Roy Chacko, Reader, Department of Geology, Kerala University. The committee is headed by V. Sobha, Head of the Department of Environmental Sciences.

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