KOCHI: Mary George, a sexagenarian farmer from Kadamakudy, has been waiting to repair her old, worn-down home all these years. The coastal regulation zone (CRZ) restrictions to carry out construction activities had dampened the 63-year-old’s plans. To her relief, the Kerala state coastal zone management authority (KCZMA) has decided to open up coastal villages for large-scale constructions, moving 154 panchayats across the state into CRZ-II zone.
As many as 25 coastal panchayats from Ernakulam will enter the CRZ-II category. Though the decision is not final yet, KCZMA officials say the public demands will be studied further by the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS).
“The decision was made after receiving multiple memorandums and requests from residents. The preparation of coastal zone management plan is under way and we are hoping to complete the work soon,” said a KCZMA official.
The coastal zone authority is toeing the line of the state government to convert 323 panchayats into urban areas based on the 2011 census. According to the government order, 44 panchayats in Ernakulam will now fall under CRZ-II category. Of the lot, 25 civic bodies are coastal regions.
Going by the new regulations, local bodies such as Alangad, Cheranallur, Kadamakudy, Kumbalangi, Pallipuram and Varapuzha will fall under CRZ-II, making constructions more viable. “We have been finding it difficult to issue building permissions for even small-scale constructions all these years. Though large-scale constructions may still be controversial, we are confident that we can preserve ecological balance within the framework of the norms,” said an official of Cheranallur panchayat.
Coastal communities upbeat
Coastal residents are overjoyed by the KCZMA’s decision to consult NCESS.“ Our coastal areas are equipped with electricity, water supply and drainage network, much like urban areas. This is why these areas must fall under CRZ-II, and we have been raising this demand for a long time. We are glad they are listening,” said Dalfin T A, convener of the West Kochi Theeradesha Samrakshana Samithi. Meanwhile, there is a strong demand to address CRZ-III related concerns as well.
“As per the Shailesh Nayak committee report, KCZMA is legally bound to consider the built-up area while assessing the density of population. If we take Kumbalangi panchayat for example, it has both built-up areas and water bodies. Officials need to omit the area with water bodies from CRZ radar while classifying it as CRZ-III and impose resonable restrictions on construction activities,” added Dalfin.