Akhila Kerala Dheevara Sabha has demanded that the proposed SkyCity project in Kochi over the Chilavannoor backwaters, which is being pushed forward ignoring the key findings in the report of the National Coastal Zone Management Authority (NCZMA), should be dropped.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, Sabha’s general secretary, V. Dinakaran said that the shopping complexes and other buildings being built over the backwaters will adversely affect the ecology of the backwaters and extinction of fish species, besides reducing the expanse of the backwaters as well as polluting and curbing its water flow. The move of the Industries Department under the present UDF Government to go ahead with the project, which was dropped by the previous LDF Government when met with stiff resistance from fishermen organizations and environmentalists, could not be accepted at any cost, he said.
He said that there was conspiracy behind the granting of green signal to the project, especially in the backdrop of sidelining the report of the expert committee appointed by the NCZMA. This project that affects the job of the fishermen and the sea resources should not be implemented. He demanded that the Chief Minister to convene meeting to clear the air and dispel anxiety on the project among the public. He also noted that the project falls under the CRZ-I category, which is an ecologically sensitive area.
He also called for implementing the Kuttanad package as per the report submitted by Dr. M.S. Swaminathan. The implementation should cover issues like protecting Vembanad lake and controlling its pollution and protecting the fish and clam resources of the lake, he demanded.
