THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Giving in to the Opposition’s prodding in the assembly, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Roshy Augustine on Tuesday said the government would cancel its order, issued last year, imposing restrictions on construction activities near dams in the state.
Responding to a notice for adjournment motion moved by UDF MLA Mons Joseph, Roshy said the order will be nixed as there are concerns among the public on the curbs imposed. He said discussions will be held with the legislators who represent the affected constituencies, if required.
Roshy had on various occasions informed the assembly that the order will be tweaked to ensure no inconvenience is caused to the public when it comes to construction activities.
However, not content with his promise of amending the order, the UDF MLAs on Tuesday demanded the order be struck down in its entirety. Finally, Roshy agreed to cancel the fiat. The order had deemed the land falling within 20m of the reservoirs as buffer zone, where construction activities are banned. It said beyond the buffer zone, construction activities would be regulated for another 100m.
Roshy said the order was issued in connection with a litigation that was initiated by a resort owner, whose application for a no objection certificate (NOC) for construction activities was rejected.
“It’s to protect the interest of the public and ensure the safety of dams that the order was issued. Shouldn’t we regulate the distance between dams and buildings? Since the order has created an apprehension among people, we will change it,” Roshy said.
Leader of Opposition 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 issued an order regarding the NOC in 2023. The order, Satheesan said, bypassed existing rules on construction activities and if implemented, will lead to restrictions in places such as Iritty town.
Satheesan also said the minister had talked about amending the order, but it will not resolve the issue. “If the order exists, officers will misinterpret it. Hence, it should be withdrawn,” he said. Following this, Roshy promised the order will be revoked.