CMZ II

State’s coastal belt may come under CMZ-II
The entire coastal belt in Kerala may come under the Coastal Management Zone-II if one goes by the population criterion mentioned in the recommendations of the M S Swaminathan Committee for the newly proposed Coastal Management Zone Act. According to the new recommendations, any developmental activity in coastal areas will need permission from the Ministry of Earth Sciences or the National Board which will be formed to monitor the CMZ violations.
The coastal zones have been classified into four areas. As per the classification, the CMZ-I includes ecological sensitive areas like sea shores while the CMZ-II will include areas with population density of more than 400 people per sq km. In Kerala, the density in coastal areas is 2,176 people per sq km.
As per the existing Coastal Regulation Zone Act, Pariyaram grama panchayat in Kannur district with a population density of 450 per sq km is on the top.
``In the CMZ-II, the activities on the seaward side of the setback line will be regulated to ensure that no further development takes place other than the foreshore requiring facilities and basic infrastructure,’’ said Kerala Land Reforms Committee member P B Sahasranaman.
This, he adds, is a stringent condition as places where the setback line is on the landward side, no construction will be possible.
``What will be the effect of this notification on the ongoing constructions in violation of the CRZ notification, 1991?’’ he asks.
He said that the draft was silent on whether the notification repeals the earlier CRZ Act or regularises the constructions.
The contradictions in the draft and the M S Swaminathan report has irked many in the state. While the latter strongly recommends strict enforcement by local bodies, the draft is silent on enforcing agencies including the local self-government.
K V Thomas MLA who heads a subcommittee of the KPCC said in his report that the fishing community be made the stakeholders in the management of coastal areas as had been recommended by the Swaminathan Committee.
But, the proposed notification does not mention them as well as it was silent on violators
Source : Tthe New Indian Express