With sea erosion on the rise and fisher families increasingly reluctant to relocate to safer locations, the Fisheries Department has decided to form new people’s committees, with the help of local bodies, under the ‘Punargeham’ project to speed up its implementation. In the first phase, the new committees will come up on in Beypore and Kadalundi coastal areas.
Under the project, a family will be given ₹10 lakh in various stages to purchase three cents of land away from the coast and build a 600-sq ft house. Though it was launched years go, less than 25% of the eligible families have cooperated with its implementation. Most are not keen on accepting the package as such. The responsibility of the new committee will be to identify such families and prompt them to cooperate with the project.
In Kozhikode district, 2,606 families have been identified as requiring speedy rehabilitation. Of this, less than 600 families have accepted the package. Many say the package does not meet their actual requirements.
Most coastal families are big and they are not ready to shift to a smaller house. They say that a sum of ₹10 lakh will not suffice to purchase land and build a house in the existing market rate. They are calling for a major revision in the package.
The distance factor
Another major reason for the opposition is the possible distance of the new properties from the coastal area. Most fisher families want a living space closer to the harbours and fish landing centres as it would reduce their travel time. Their affinity for the coastal area too is preventing many from accepting the offer.
Unused revenue land
The Fisheries Department officials have made it clear that fisher families living close to vulnerable coastal areas will have to shift on account of their safety. Efforts are also on to identify unused revenue land in the urban area for the purpose of their rehabilitation.
