Thottara puncha gets ready for farming

KOCHI: Farming at Thottara puncha, once the rice bowl of Ernakulam district and fields spread across 1,400 acres at Amballur, is being revived and getting ready for paddy cultivation. The district administration, panchayat authorities and farmers' groups have joined together to resume farming paddy after a gap of more than five years. Due to several reasons, farmers could not cultivate paddy or other crops in the fields. On Sunday, district collector Muhammad Y. Safirulla and additional district magistrate C.K Prakash visited the area to monitor preparation of paddy fields to restart cultivation.

"Farming will be resumed in 100 acres in the first phase. Development works are being carried out using the funds allocated by the state government. If proper irrigation and other facilities ensured, farmers are ready for cultivating paddy as it is their means of living," said Jalaja Mohanan, Amballoor panchayat president. NGOs have also extended support to restart farming in the puncha. Kochi-based group 'Anpodu Kochi' has agreed to help in clearing the overgrown weeds and grass. In 2014, the state government initiated a revival scheme to save the puncha and allocated Rs 31.34 crore for it.

More than 1,000 families are dependent on paddy cultivation in Thottara puncha which is spread across Amballur, Edakkattuvayal panchayats in Ernakulam district and Velloor panchayat in Kottayam district. Development works including deepening of water sources, removal of weeds, construction of granite wall and bund, developing a farm road and setting up pump houses have been proposed as part of the revival scheme. Meanwhile, there were complaints against the plans proposed at the official level without consulting farmers or the Padasekhara Samithi.