KOCHI: The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) violations in the State would be listed by the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA). A committee to be appointed by the authority would investigate into all the violations, and action would be initiated based on its findings, said E.P. Yesodharan, chairman of the authority. Incidentally, Jairam Ramesh, Union Minister for Environment and Forest, had stated at Kochi on Monday that there were rampant CRZ violations in the State. Mr. Ramesh had also stated that the violations in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Goa would be recorded using satellite images.
Mr. Yesodharan, while admitting that there were widespread violations, said that the directives of the authority on instances of violations were not satisfactorily implemented by the district authorities and local bodies. There were also cases of procedural delay on the part of the district administrations and the local bodies in acting against the violations. In a few cases, the violators obtained stay orders from the courts, Mr. Yesodharan said. Though the CRZ Act empowers the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority to take suo motu action and even as authority members convinced about the violations in many cases, the authority has failed to invoke its powers even once.
“The committee has not initiated suo motu action so far. However we are planning to act in a few cases soon,” Mr. Yesodharan said. Kerala has a long coastal line and around 20 per cent of its population live along the coastal belt. There are practical difficulties in fully implementing the CRZ guidelines, he said. N.R. Menon, a member of KCZMA, said that the powers of the chairman were only on paper. The implementing agencies like the district collectors and the local bodies should be blamed for the failure in implementing the guidelines as the authority has only recommendatory powers, Mr. Menon said. B. Madhusoodana Kurup, a member of the committee, pointed out that the authority does not have a system to implement its orders. It can only issue the orders to the authorities concerned for proper implementation, Mr. Kurup said.
Kochi tops the list
Kochi tops the list of cities in Kerala that have violated the CRZ norms. Star hotels, luxury resorts, hospitals, apartment complexes and commercial ventures have come up along the water front areas of the city violating the guidelines. Recent violations were reported from Elamkulam, Chilavannur, Maradu and Kumbalam areas, according to a committee member. “With its large number of water bodies, there is the probability of Kochi topping the list. The authority has acted on cases that have come to its consideration,” Dr. Yesodharan said.
Source: The Hindu, Dated: 10.02.2010
Mr. Yesodharan, while admitting that there were widespread violations, said that the directives of the authority on instances of violations were not satisfactorily implemented by the district authorities and local bodies. There were also cases of procedural delay on the part of the district administrations and the local bodies in acting against the violations. In a few cases, the violators obtained stay orders from the courts, Mr. Yesodharan said. Though the CRZ Act empowers the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority to take suo motu action and even as authority members convinced about the violations in many cases, the authority has failed to invoke its powers even once.
“The committee has not initiated suo motu action so far. However we are planning to act in a few cases soon,” Mr. Yesodharan said. Kerala has a long coastal line and around 20 per cent of its population live along the coastal belt. There are practical difficulties in fully implementing the CRZ guidelines, he said. N.R. Menon, a member of KCZMA, said that the powers of the chairman were only on paper. The implementing agencies like the district collectors and the local bodies should be blamed for the failure in implementing the guidelines as the authority has only recommendatory powers, Mr. Menon said. B. Madhusoodana Kurup, a member of the committee, pointed out that the authority does not have a system to implement its orders. It can only issue the orders to the authorities concerned for proper implementation, Mr. Kurup said.
Kochi tops the list
Kochi tops the list of cities in Kerala that have violated the CRZ norms. Star hotels, luxury resorts, hospitals, apartment complexes and commercial ventures have come up along the water front areas of the city violating the guidelines. Recent violations were reported from Elamkulam, Chilavannur, Maradu and Kumbalam areas, according to a committee member. “With its large number of water bodies, there is the probability of Kochi topping the list. The authority has acted on cases that have come to its consideration,” Dr. Yesodharan said.
Source: The Hindu, Dated: 10.02.2010
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