THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The preparation of final coastal zone management plan, which got delayed due to Covid, would take another six months to complete, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. He cited the problems of holding a public hearing which is a crucial part in drafting the plan, during the pandemic. He was responding to the adjournment motion by MLA, K Babu against the delay in issuing notification for the coastal zone management plan, on Tuesday.
The plan is key for coastal protection.The government has set up an expert committee to study the draft prepared by the National Centre for Earth Science Studies. The committee suggested declaring 245 panchayats as urban areas, limiting high tide marking at bunds, near Pokkali fields, and limiting buffer zones of mangrove forests of 1,000sqm to 50.