KOCHI: Madhu CR, a construction worker from Maradu municipality who received a grant from Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), had to wait for over a year to get a building permit for his house in Maradu. His requests were turned down repeatedly by the administration citing Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules and other restrictions on construction in Maradu’s “industrial zones”. Ironically, Madhu claims there is not even a petty shop in his area which has been listed as an industrial zone.
Madhu’s is not a one-off case. Many people who intend to construct buildings and houses in ward No.1 and No.33 of the municipality — both recognised as industrial zones despite not having a single industrial unit — don’t know how to move forward. Residents of Moothedam, where any areas have been registered as agricultural land despite the absence of farms or fields, are also suffering the same fate.
The officials in the municipality have little knowledge about the demarcations as no member from the civic body was part of the team that made the bifurcations. The structural planning of the municipality came to light only after the Supreme Court issued the order to demolish the two huge apartment complexes in 2019. The demarcations date back to 2007, said municipal chairman Antony Ashanparambil.
“There are many defects in the structural planning. The state government should make immediate changes to weed out the discrepancies. In CRZs, the municipality has pointed out unscientific markings. This can be rectified only if the markings are revised in the presence of municipality officials. Thickly populated residential areas in Nettoor now fall under industrial area, where more than 3,000 sqft of construction cannot be allowed. Families cannot construct a kitchen on the first floor. It should be a single unit, apparently,” he said.
When the CRZ draft was published, it defined Maradu as an island, pushing it to CRZ II, as compared to its earlier CRZ I status. In CRZ II regions, constructions on the banks of water bodies done before 1996 will be considered as line marks. Roads constructed before 1996 will also be considered as a line mark and new constructions will be only allowed farther away from it.
New regulations
In areas where there are no buildings or roads older than 1996, new constructions can be made only 500 metres away from water bodies. If the river or water body is only 10 metres wide, the construction can be made 10 metres from it, said the officials. In case a building/road was constructed before 1996 and new construction has to be made behind that, the papers have to be sent from the municipality to the CRZ office in Kakkanad. Only when they approve the construction, the civic body can grant permit. For constructions more than 3,000 sqft, the papers have to be sent to the CRZ office in Thiruvananthapuram.
Awareness campaigns
The municipal council has decided to hold a one-day seminar titled ‘Development of Maradu and Conservation of the Coastal Area’ soon involving environmentalists working with coastal conservation, entrepreneurs, people’s representatives and trade union executives
and officials.