A two-day national executive committee meeting of the National Fishworkers’ Forum (NFF) which began here on Saturday expressed reservations about the nine-point relaxation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms sought by the State government.
The meeting expressed the concern that the relaxation would be used for commercial development of the areas along the tidally influenced water bodies, to the detriment of the traditional fishing communities.
It urged the government to ensure that the land excluded from the CRZ norms would not be diverted for other purposes.
NFF chairperson M. IIango inaugurated the assembly. Vice-chairman Vasudev Boloor, general secretary Narendra Patel, secretaries T. Peter and Pradip Chatterji, and other office-bearers addressed the meeting.
Spirit of lawA pressnote issued by the NFF called on the government to uphold the spirit of the CRZ rules 2011 which clearly recognised the rights of the traditional fishermen communities to the space inherited by them to construct houses.
