Readers Flag Paddy Land Loss in Keralam and Damage in Nilgiris Hills
Letter writers say rising land values and weak farm support are draining Keralam's paddy fields, while unchecked construction keeps hitting the Nilgiris during monsoons.
Readers writing to The Hindu's letters page on October 28, 2026, raised two environmental alarms: the steady disappearance of paddy fields in Keralam and the growing toll on the fragile hill ecosystem of the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu.
A reader from Aranmula argues that the debate over shrinking paddy land cannot stop at the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008, or at the officials who enforce it. Rising land prices, urban growth, shifting jobs and the shrinking profitability of rice farming are pushing fields toward housing and other uses. The writer says the state cannot dodge responsibility. Restrictions on conversion, the letter notes, should have come with steps that make farming pay, such as help with labour costs and fragmented holdings.
The same letter calls for a fuller review of the policies that allowed conversions, asking who gained and what was done to protect food security, groundwater recharge, flood control and biodiversity. Its central point is simple: Keralam needs rules that protect farmers and wetlands while still making room for real development needs.
A Chennai reader turns to the Nilgiris, which the writer describes as suffering badly during every monsoon. The letter links the damage to lost greenery, felled trees and a steady spread of commercial complexes, resorts and lodging houses. Faulty administrative policies and vested interests, the writer says, let this continue. The message is direct: tourism should not be built on environmental destruction.
Taken together, the two letters describe a familiar tension. Land that once grew food and soaked up floodwater is being turned into homes and businesses, and hill slopes that hold soil and water are being cleared for visitors. Both writers want governments to weigh long-term costs, such as food supply and disaster risk, against short-term gains from land deals and tourist spending.
The letters page also carried a separate complaint about how AIIMS assigns INI-CET examination centres, a reminder that readers are using the page to press for better planning on many fronts.
Read the full letters page: The Hindu letters to the editor, October 28, 2026
