Non-inclusion of fish workers flayed

: The reconstitution of the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMA) has evoked strong protest from organisations representing the fishing community in the State. The National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) and the Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF) have come out against the exclusion of the community from the authority that was recast in December.

KSMTF general secretary P.P .John and NFF secretary T .Peter have submitted a representation to the government seeking representation of fish workers in the authority. They said the failure to include fish workers in the CZMA for Kerala constituted a violation of the guidelines issued by the Centre on the constitution of the authority. They termed it as another instance of the government's disregard for and neglect towards the fishing community.

The two leaders alleged that the newly-constituted authority was packed with persons who had simply watched from the sidelines when the tourism and industrial lobbies had mindlessly appropriated coastal areas over the years. “The very forces that failed to check unauthorised construction in coastal areas also put up hurdles to housing projects for fisherfolk”.

Mr.Peter said the Ministry of Environment and Forests had issued guidelines to States asking them to include representatives of fisherfolk in the State-level CZMA. He said the coastal communities in Kerala would organise an agitation demanding representation in the authority. He warned that fisherfolk would also mobilise themselves to prevent unauthorised construction violating the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.

The two organisations have urged Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Fisheries Minister K. Babu to ensure that fish workers were included in the CZMA.

The notification issued by the MoEF on December 20 directs the State government to set up district-level committees chaired by the District Magistrate to supplement the CZMA. The proposed committees will have at least three representatives of the local traditional coastal communities, including fisherfolk.

However, Mr.Peter said the proposal was a poor substitute for representation in the State-level authority. “It will not serve the purpose of having a say on major issues affecting the coastal environment that have a bearing on our livelihood. We will not settle for anything less than having our people on board.”

Chairman of the authority V.N. Rajasekharan Pillai said he viewed the demand of the coastal communities in a positive light. He said a resolution seeking representation for the fishing community would be moved at the first meeting of the authority. “The resolution would be forwarded to the government as a recommendation,” he added.

The CZMA is responsible for protecting and improving the quality of the coastal environment and preventing and controlling environmental pollution in coastal areas. It is empowered to inquire into cases of alleged violation of the CRZ norms and to deal with environmental issues referred by the State government, national CZMA or the Central government.

The notification directs the State-level authority to create a dedicated website to host the approved Coastal Zone Management Plan and the decisions and actions taken by it on various issues.