The Dheevara Sabha has urged the State government to stop harassing people living in coastal areas in the name of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) violations.
In a press statement issued here on Friday, Dheevara Sabha general secretary V. Dinakaran alleged that officials with local self government institutions had been visiting houses and forcing the people to give “written declarations”.
“The government should not consider fishermen families who have been living in coastal areas for so long and encroachers in the same way,” Mr. Dinakaran, former MLA, said.
CRZ violation
He said that as per a list prepared, 50,000 houses along the coastline would have to be demolished in the State for violating Coastal Regulatory Zone norms.
“The government should submit the list to the Supreme Court after omitting the houses of coastal people. It should not initiate steps that will lead to the eviction of people from coastal areas. If needed, the government should enact a law to protect the interest of fishermen and people living in coastal areas,” he added.
The Dheevara Sabha also warned of protests if the government continue to target the coastal people in the State.
Unauthorised
Last month, the Alappuzha Coastal District Committee (CDC) had identified as many as 4,536 unauthorised constructions in Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) area in the district.
According to third interim report published on the website of Alappuzha district administration ( http://alappuzha.nic.in ), the highest number of 822 CRZ violations are in Punnapra South grama panchayat in Ambalappuzha taluk.
It is followed by 429 unauthorised constructions in Punnapra North, 427 in Mararikulam South and 412 in Mararikulam North grama panchayats.
Of the 36 local bodies including four municipalities and 32 grama panchayats to which CRZ rules are applicable, CRZ violations have been found in two municipalities and 26 grama panchayats.
Officials said that unauthorised constructions in the zone included fishermen dwelling and other buildings.
Violations
Earlier, following the Supreme Court verdict in the Maradu illegal flat case, the State government proposed to look into all constructions along the coast for CRZ violations in the State.
The CDC with district collector as chairman was constituted as per a Government order issued in October for carrying out the process.
Other districts
Besides Alappuzha, the CRZ violations in Kasaragod, Kannur, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram districts will be listed under the initiative.
