A drive along the thin black ribbon-like road flanked by paddy fields in Ezhupunna village in Cherthala taluk can be a captivating sight for a visitor.
On one side are partially submerged fields with paddy seedlings spearing through the water surface here and there while the other showcases a network of fields under water. For a pokkali farmer, that sight tells the tale of continuing neglect.
Normally, the fields should have sported an identical look by this time of the year — well ploughed and separated into furrows and mounds, bunds bordering them, water properly regulated, and seeds sprouting rather uniformly. The situation on ground, however, presents a different story.
