ALAPPUZHA: A meeting of the farmers in the C Block in Kuttanad has decided to submit a memorandum to Chief Minister Oommen Chandy regarding the paddy loss owing to the collapse of the outer bund in Kuttanad. The meeting held at Kainakary on Wednesday observed that the failure in the construction of the outer bund using the ‘pile and slab’ method was the main reason for the mishap. Padasekhara Samiti secretary Suresh Kumar presided over the meeting. Suresh said: “In the beginning of the bund construction, the farmers had pointed out the drawbacks in the construction. But the contractors and the officials neglected the plea of the farmers. Every year, we would strengthen the bund made of clay before the farming season. This time we thought that the ‘pile and slab bund’ will protect the paddyfield from water. But the method of construction destroyed our hard work.”The Agricultural Department has submitted a report to the ministry, principal agricultural officer Nalinakumar said.“We have estimated the loss at Rs 30,000 an acre. During the initial stages of the collapse, the water logged in the 640-acre C Block. Later, the minor bunds in Puthenarayiram, Moolayarayiram and D Block collapsed and the cultivation in 2,400 acres was submerged,” Nalinakumar said.A sub-committee appointed by the District Congress Committee to study the failure in the implementation of the Kuttanad package is planning to submit a report to the Chief Minister.The report pinpoints the failure in the construction of the bund. The slabs did not penetrate deep into the mud and that was the reason for the collapse of the bund, DCC president A A Shukkoor said.
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