Committees with the mandate of monitoring and implementing Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) guidelines and protecting coastal environment at district levels will be activated shortly.
A proposal regarding the rights, duties and responsibilities of the panels will come up for discussion at a meeting of the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA) to be held later this month. The draft proposal on the guidelines governing the district committees were circulated among the members for eliciting their views.
The State government had earlier announced the formation of the committees with the district collectors as its chairpersons. Committees have come into existence in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Kannur and Kasaragod districts.
The seven-member committees have three representatives each from the coastal-dwelling communities. Deputy directors of panchayats, district planning officers and assistant conservators of Forests are members of the panel.
The Ernakulam committee has K.P. Thankachan, president of Chelanam panchayat, A.R. Subhash, member Ernakulam district panchayat and K.J. Lenus, Kattikkadu Veedu, Kannamali as members representing the local committees.
According to the draft guidelines, the panels can look into complaints of violation of CRZ guidelines and coastal pollution on their own or act on complaints. The panels are expected to verify complaints of violations and report to the KCZMA. They may also initiate action on violations in consultation with the authority. The committees will also have a crucial role in checking instances of coastal pollution.
The district panels are expected to submit periodic reports to the KCZMA. They are also expected to support the Authority in the enforcement and monitoring of the CRZ regime in the State. With the constitution of district committees, the KCZMA has dropped its earlier plan to hold sittings in coastal districts to look into instances of violation of rules.
