A total of 175 coastal panchayats with an urban character can be shifted from CRZ III to CRZ II as per the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) amendments of 2019, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the Assembly on Wednesday.
The change in categories will be finalised only after the State submits a coastal management plan to the Union government. A three-member committee appointed by the State government has studied the draft plan and submitted its recommendations to the government and the Cabinet would soon take a decision of these, he said.
Leader of the Opposition V.D.Satheesan alleged that the revised management plan was to be submitted within six months of the amendments coming into force in 2019. However, due to the delay, the people living in coastal regions have still not begun getting the benefits of the same. Mr.Vijayan responded that the delay was natural as a long process which involves public hearings has to be followed for preparing the draft plan.
The Chief Minister said that the State has as many 1,826 islands and islets, out of which only 178 are above 10 hectares in area while the rest are comparatively smaller.
As per the amendments of 2019, integrated island management plans have to be prepared. The State government had conveyed to the Union government the difficulties in preparing integrated plans for the smaller islets. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has given in principle approval to the suggestion to prepare plans only for the larger islands. The High Tide Line will be fixed in Pokkali paddy fields, with the bunds as the limit.
He said that there will be no action to shift people from coastal regions as per the amendments.
According to the amendments of 2019, the No Development Zone in CRZ III A areas has been changed from 200 m to 50 m from the High Tide Line. In CRZ III B areas, it will remain as 200 m from the HTL. The buffer zone around mangroves under the government's control will be fixed at 50 metres, while the buffer zone of 50 metres has been removed for mangroves above 1,000 square metres in areas owned by private individuals.
