: The reconstitution of the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA) in June has hampered the functioning of the regulatory body and left it struggling to cope with the structural changes, leading to concerns over the poor enforcement of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.
Coastal communities, including fishers, allege that applications for housing are piling up at the KCZMA office. Officials admit that the structural changes had literally grounded the authority, creating conditions conducive to violation of CRZ norms. “With the nomination of officials from different government agencies, decision-making has become an uphill task, with the result that things have come to a standstill,” says a highly placed official.
The Principal Secretary of the Environment Department now chairs the authority in place of the Principal Secretary, Science and Technology. The Member Secretary of the State Pollution Control Board has been nominated as Member Secretary of the authority, a post earlier held by the Member Secretary of the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (KSCSTE).
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The restructured authority includes four expert members as well as the Principal Secretary of the Local Self-Government and Industries Departments and the Secretaries of the Fisheries, Revenue and Urban Affairs departments and a representative of a non-governmental organisation.
Lack of expertise
The KCZMA secretariat continues to function from the headquarters of the KSCSTE. “Left with no representation in the KCZMA, the Science and Technology Department which has been handling applications for CRZ clearance all these years has distanced itself from its functioning. The Environment Department, on the other hand, lacks the technical knowhow to process the applications,” says the official.
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Applicants confused
The Kerala Pradesh Fishermen Congress Committee has alleged that the KCZMA was making no effort to clear the huge backlog of applications, including those for constructing houses for fishermen. “With multiple agencies involved in the KCZMA, applicants are confused and many of them are approaching panchayats,” said committee president T.N. Prathapan.
He urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to establish an independent office for the authority and expedite the processing of applications. Mr. Prathapan warned that the costal communities in the State would launch an agitation to press the demand.