THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Roshy Augustine told the assembly that the government will roll back the order it had issued in 2024, which imposed restrictions on construction activities near dams.
Responding to a notice for adjournment motion moved by UDF's Mons Joseph, Roshy said the order will be nixed as there are concerns among people regarding the curbs imposed. He said discussions will be held with the legislators who represent the affected constituencies, if required.
The minister on different occasions had informed the assembly that the order will be tweaked so as to create no inconvenience to the public regarding construction activities. However, the UDF members were not content with the promise of amending the order and on Tuesday they demanded that the order be struck down in its entirety. The serious prodding finally yielded results as the minister agreed to cancel the order.
As per the order, land area falling within 20 metres of the reservoirs categorised as buffer zone, where construction activities are banned. Beyond the buffer zone, construction activities will be regulated for another 100 metres.
The minister said the order was issued in connection with a litigation that was initiated by a resort owner, whose application for No Objection Certificate for construction activities was rejected. "It's to protect the interest of the public and ensure the safety of dams, "the order was issued. Shouldn't we regulate the distance between the dams and buildings? Since the order has created an apprehension among people, we will change the order," he said.
Mons said the order has created issues across the state. After the order came into effect, about 7732 acres of land has been deemed as buffer zone, while 38661 acres of land has been declared as restricted areas, he pointed out.
Opposition Leader V D Satheesan said though the dams have been there for decades, there were no such restrictions on construction. The resort owner approached the court in 2024, but the government had issued an order regarding the NOC in 2023. The order bypassed existing rules on construction activities and if it's implemented there will be restrictions in places such as Iritty town, he said.
Satheesan added that the minister had talked about amending the order and that will not solve the issue. “If the order still exists, the officers will misinterpret it. Hence it should be withdrawn,” he said.
Following this the minister assured that the order will be revoked.