A team of officials of the Town Planning Department, Revenue Department, and local bodies inspected alleged violations of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms and encroachments along Akkulam Lake on Saturday.
The inspection was part of a process to identify CRZ violations in the entire State to be submitted to the Supreme Court, based on complaints from the public.
Environmental Protection and Research Council (ERPC), an NGO, had lodged a complaint regarding violations in the Attipra, Cheruvakkal, and Kadakampally villages. The team inspected the areas stretching from the NATPAC office to the construction site of the Lulu mall. Officials who were part of the team were tight-lipped about the findings in the inspection.
Deputy Collector Anu S. Nair said that he could comment only after getting a report from the inspection team.
“We have given the evidence regarding the encroachments and violations along the Akkulam lake. But the team that came today did not have enough preparation or an understanding of the area to make any concrete findings. In the afternoon, a group of people opposed the inspection when the officials left the area,” said S.J. Sanjeev, president of ERPC, one of the complainants.
