Meeting planned on Sunday to clarify its stance on SC verdict on eco-sensitive zones
Meeting planned on Sunday to clarify its stance on SC verdict on eco-sensitive zones
In protest against the State government’s alleged failure in addressing concerns over buffer zones, We Farm, a prominent farmers’ organisation in the district, will not cooperate with the upcoming dawn-to-dusk hartal called by the CPI(M) against the recent Supreme Court verdict on eco-sensitive zones (ESZ) around the forest.
Association leaders said the hartal in rural areas on June 13 was just to cover up the failure of the government to resolve the issue. They said a public convention would be held at Chempanoda on Sunday to clarify the association’s stand and future agitation plans.
“The boundaries of the Malabar and Wayanad Wildlife sanctuaries are yet to be marked properly as a result of poor government interventions. Faulty geo-coordinates are still in use for classifying farm land as forest land,” claimed Joy Kannanchira, chairman of the association. He accused the CPI(M) of trying to cover up facts and mislead farmers.
According to We Farm leaders, proper marking of forest boundaries will largely address concerns of a majority of farmers in the affected 13 villages in Kozhikode and Wayanad districts. Re-survey is required to complete the task that had been pending for many years as a result of government apathy, they alleged.
Meanwhile, farmers affiliated to organisations backed by the CPI(M) said there was no reason to stay away from the mass protest. They also alleged that there were attempts to politicise the issue in the name of farmers instead of collectively working to address it.
