Search!

Web envkerala.blogspot.com

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Kerala will have special place in coastal zone norms

KOCHI: “Kerala will be given special consideration when the new coastal zone regulations are framed,” Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh said here on Monday. Mr. Ramesh told presspersons that the unique features of the State, such as biodiversity, ecology and the population density, would be taken into account while framing the regulations. The Swaminathan Committee which prepared the Coastal Zone Management report had suggested that Mumbai be considered separately. The Minister was here to attend the final session of a public consultation with fishermen and the local communities on the Coastal Regulation Zone rules.
Issues plaguing State
Identifying the major issues plaguing the State, Mr. Ramesh said there were numerous instances of clear and visible violations of the Coastal Regulation Zone guidelines in the no-development zones. Indiscriminate reclamation of waterbodies, discharge of untreated effluents violating all the norms and the presence of a large fishermen population dependent on fisheries for livelihood security were the key concerns. Mr. Ramesh said the government proposed to bring in a Sustainable Coastal Zone Protection regulation (SCZP) and its draft would be published on the website of the Ministry on March 15. The stakeholders would be given 60 days to submit their comments and views on the draft. The new regulations would not disturb the traditional rights of fishermen and their families. The most important feature of the SCZP would be the protection of the rights of the traditional fishermen.

Source: The Hindu, Dated: 9.02.2010

No comments: