There will be serious human rights violations in the Chellanam grama panchayat if relaxation in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms and Coastal Management Plan is not granted to the people there, according to an affidavit filed by the panchayat in the Kerala High Court.
The affidavit was filed in a suo motu case initiated on a complaint of encroachments and pollution of the Vembanadu backwaters.
The affidavit filed by the Secretary of the panchayat pointed out that various relaxations had been granted to people living in similar areas to help them make constructions on their properties. However, such relaxation had not been given to the panchayat despite it being a developed and semi-urban area. The problem of the residents required to be studied from the human rights angle. The panchayat was a semi-urban area populated mostly by traditional fishermen community and persons belonging to other economically and socially backward communities. Mostly, people owned small plots. As most of the people were living in poverty, they were unable to purchase new land beyond CRZ limits. They were now not able to utilise their land or sell them.
The panchayat pointed out that it was not issuing building numbers to structures constructed within the prohibited distances of the High Tide Line as specified in the CRZ Regulation-III. The applications received for development or building permits for residential buildings or commercial establishments were forwarded to the Coastal Zone Management Authority and permits were issued only on the applications on which the authority had made its recommendation.
The panchayat had initiated action against 12 buildings which were found to have been constructed in violation of CRZ regulations and Kerala Panchayat Building Rules. They were issued stop memos and notices for demolition of those structures, the affidavit said.
The pollution of the Vembanad backwaters due to effluents and agrochemical residues as well as the violation of CRZ norms by those living in the coastal areas could be addressed by the Central and State governments and pollution control boards jointly, the panchayat said.
