Methran Kayal - a brief retrospection. Photo: ManoramaKottayam: Methran Kayal is a piece of marshy land in Kumarakom steeped in the culture and heritage of Kerala. Also known as Seminary Kayal, the land belonged to a 200-year-old seminary of the Malankara Orthodox Church at Chungom in Kottayam.
The land was named after bishop Mar Joseph Dionysius V. 'Methran' means bishop in Malayalam. Farming on this land was promoted in a big way before and after Independence. Farmers had cultivated the land in the Methran Kayal area till 2008.
But farming stopped after some private firms started buying plots here. In 2016, a row erupted after the UDF government sanctioned reclamation of several acres here.
Methran Kayal: The ebb and flow of a farming practice
The Oommen Chandy government was criticized for sanctioning the reclamation of land. It was pointed out that the projects would cause ecological damage. It also violated the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008.
On March 8, 2016, the Kerala High Court ordered status quo on land utilisation following a petition by paddy farmer N.K. Alexander against the allotments made to private developers.
The controversy played a part in the UDF's defeat in the state assembly elections in May. In June, the current LDF government decided to bring paddy cultivation back to Methran Kayal.
On November 10, 2016, agriculture minister V.S. Sunilkumar sowed paddy seeds in Metran Kayal, reviving cultivation on the land after a gap of 8 years. Presently paddy cultivation is in full swing.
