KOCHI: Under the auspices of the Kerala Regional Latin Catholic Council (KRLCC), the people of the coastal belt are all set to relaunch their agitation against the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) alleging delay on the part of the government in rectifying anomalies in the notification.
A meeting of the representatives of various organisations under the Latin Catholic Church will be convened in Kochi to formulate the action plan of agitation.
KRLCC political affairs committee convener Shaji George alleged that the government had not considered the issue seriously. “The government had promised that the condition preventing coastal people from constructing houses would be removed from the notification. But it has not been done despite repeated reminders. The regulation zone management plan, published recently was not prepared on the basis of any scientific study,” he said.
The government had also promised that the right of local bodies to grant permission for construction would be restored. This promise was also not kept, he pointed out
“No steps have been taken to prepare coastal regulation plan. Local bodies have not been given instructions to conduct the required studies. The government failed to effectively present the issues being faced by the coastal people before the Commission which conducted a sitting to study the impact of CRZ. Coastal Management Authority was not granted funds towards the expense for preparing a plan,” Shaji George said.