Kerala: Farmer hits political roadblock

Kochi: A retired bank officer in Cheranellore, who ventured into fish farming on his two acres, is in dire straits as a few panchayat members and a section of Congress politicians play spoilsport. The farmer Vymelil Thomas is yet to get the necessary certificate from the Krishi Bhavan there so as to secure power connection so as to run his farm further, because of the opposition from this group. Mr Thomas retired from South Indian Bank in 2011 and since then he ventured into integrated farming. Ever since he began to earn from his farm comprising fihes, vegetables and cattle after making an investment of Rs 2 lakh, antisocial elements and encroachers in the boundaries of his plot began to create trouble for him.

“First complaint was that I was filling paddy field included in databank. Then they said that I was doing fish farming in paddy field and thirdly when I built a ramshackle building for posting a watchman to take care of the farm and setting up the water motor pump, they cried hoarse saying construction is not allowed there. My vegetables and fishes were stolen by the anti-socials and the loss was to the tune of Rs 2.5 lakh at least. Despite these troubles I could break-even and it could have been much more profitable and enjoyable for me if congenial atmosphere was there to do the various types of farming,” said Mr Thomas.

Thomas was ironically selected as the best farmer by the panchayat in 2015. “In fact before that there were issues of stealing the produce including fish but the open opposition started since then,” he said. The assistant secretary of the panchayat who in the absence of the secretary gave the building number for the ramshackle building has also become the target of the group. “When there are a lot of CRZ violations, the authorities turn a blind eye to them and a section of the UDF members who rule the panchayat are turning against Thomas who has set a good example for others. The authorities do this when they have failed miserably to tackle the plastic waste menace in the panchayat,” said Benny Francis, an LDF member in the panchayat.