Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 16 (PTI) The central government has approved Kerala’s Coastal Management Plan, easing construction restrictions along the state’s seashores and backwaters.
This move, announced in a press release from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) here on Wednesday, comes after the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change granted its approval.
According to the CMO, about one million people from 10 coastal districts–Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Kollam, and Thiruvananthapuram–will benefit from these changes.
The CMO said the government has managed to secure relaxations for construction activities in 66 panchayats, where strict regulations were previously in place.
In addition to this, Kerala has requested the central government to extend the same benefit to 109 other panchayats with urban characteristics, it said.
The CMO said as recognition of the state government’s stance, 66 coastal panchayats identified as having urban characteristics based on the 2011 census have been shifted from the highly restricted Zone-III to Zone-II under the 2019 Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification.
Panchayats with a population density of 2,161 people or more per square kilometer have been classified under the newly created CRZ III A category in the 2019 coastal management plan, while areas with lower population density have been included in CRZ III B.
In CRZ III A, the No Development Zone (NDZ) has been reduced from 200 meters to 50 meters. Though 31 panchayats in Kerala were initially classified under CRZ III A, 20 of these have now been moved to the CRZ II category, leaving only 11 panchayats currently in the CRZ III A category, the release said.
“Additionally, the buffer distance from the high-tide line of inland water bodies has been reduced from 100 meters to 50 meters, and in such cases, the lesser of either 50 meters or the width of the water body will be designated as the No Development Zone. The No Development Zone does not apply to areas declared as part of a port,” it said.
Once the central government’s related notification comes fully into effect, homes up to 300 square meters in size will be able to receive direct construction permits from local self-governing bodies, it said.
In the CRZ II region, only the Floor Space Index (FSI) that existed before 1991 could be used for construction activities. With the new plan coming into effect, the current FSI can now be utilised for construction, relaxing the strict previous restrictions.
In Pokkali and Kaipad paddy fields, the bunds that existed before 1991 are now considered the high-tide line, and coastal regulation zone rules have been reduced up to this line. This action will benefit thousands of farmers. Additionally, the buffer zone requirement has been completely removed for mangroves located on private land.
The CMO noted that the central government had issued a notification in 2019 allowing more relaxations under the Coastal Regulation Zone rules.
A three-member expert committee was appointed to study these relaxations for Kerala. Based on the committee’s report and extensive discussions with the central government, the draft Coastal Management Plan was created.
To ensure public input, feedback was sought from the 10 coastal districts, with around 33,000 complaints and suggestions collected. These were reviewed by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) in Chennai, and the draft plan was adjusted accordingly before being submitted to the central government with cabinet approval.
The CMO highlighted that Kerala had requested the central government to classify 175 panchayats as Legally Designated Urban Areas and include them in CRZ II, as most coastal panchayats in the state have urban characteristics due to high population density and infrastructure development.
Not including these areas in CRZ II would have been detrimental to the state, it said. PTI TGB TGB ROH
