The Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA) has started reconsidering its earlier decision to stay construction of some of the commercial apartment projects on the coastline of Kozhikode.
The construction was earlier stayed citing violations of the Coastal Regulation Zone Act. Now, as part of the new move, one of the three builders, who was earlier issued the stop memo, has been given the go-ahead.
For nearly three years, construction work at this site remained pending after KCZMA took legal actions. The new move has come as a surprise for many especially the Kamburam Araya Samajam workers who have been fighting against unlawful constructions on the coastline for several years.
The surprise factor for them is that the KCZMA order comes despite there being no change in the structure of the building or any lay out outside to prompt such a sudden withdrawal of the stay.
Before the stay on constructions, a two-member KCZMA panel had found constructions of three major apartment projects being planned in the CRZ II area.
According to them, the first construction was permitted by the Kozhikode Corporation in 2006 on 68.75 cents of land marked in map number 55 of the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Plan.
The second construction was permitted by the Corporation in 2008 in CRZ II area, again marked in map number 55 of the plan. The panel report said the builder got permission from the Corporation to occupy an area of 30.43 cents of land.
The third builder obtained the permit for construction on 64.5 cents in September 2008, in violation of the CRZ norms. This mega project too was part of map number 55 of plan.
After the KCZMA panel findings, there were several attempts on the part of the builders to get the hurdles legally cleared.
Sources said that there were even differences of opinion among the KCZMA members on the matter of preventing the construction works by enforcing CRZ rules.
