THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even as the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA) is set to begin public hearings on the draft coastal zone management plan (CZMP) next week, the people affected are exasperated and confused by the poor arrangements made to shed light on the documents available with local bodies. The hearings offer the last chance for those affected in the 10 coastal districts to rectify the anomalies.
KCZMA has made available a set of maps with local bodies to allow the affected to verify the status of their properties and identify inconsistencies, as per the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification of 2019. One of the major aspects of the notification was the reclassification of 66-gram panchayats under CRZ II, which approves authorised constructions that already exist. The approval is key to allowing the construction of more high-rise buildings in the areas.
However, the stakeholders, including the fishermen communities, found it difficult to understand the maps in the absence of a detailed report explaining the implications of the changes marked where their houses are located. The lack of understanding of restrictions has not only affected fishermen looking to construct a house near the coast but people hoping to purchase apartments in high-rises near water bodies.
The 2019 notification has eased the terms of construction approvals. But people can claim the benefits only after the maps are approved by the central government. However, the process is likely to be delayed if more disputes arise and the people affected secure injunctions. The state’s move to seek relaxations for over 175 panchayats with an urban character had already delayed the process. Public hearings are being held in all 10 districts, starting with Thiruvananthapuram on May 22.
“We have tried to create awareness. But people have not been able to make sense of the map,” said Poovar grama panchayat president J Lawrence. Maglin Philomena, a fisher community leader, said that several online complaints were registered for clarity on the ownership right of coasts, difficulty in getting approvals, and the encroachment of the coast in the name of tourism.
Experts say the confusion has been created by poor awareness. “The maps look tedious. They should have been accompanied by a report to help fishermen understand and respond accordingly,” said K V Thomas, an activist and former scientist with the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS).
The maps themselves are devoid of details such as infrastructure related to fishermen and disaster management. They are also silent on the changes to HTL, illegal fillings (especially in lakes), loss of revenue property, and encroachments. The suggestions received and disputes raised at the hearings will be scrutinised by the NCESS, which prepared the maps.
A KCZMA official maintained that the maps are easy to read. “If residents think that their properties have been marked wrong, they can raise the issues at public hearings,” he said. The KCZMA plans to wind up the hearings by June 14.