Kerala will press for more relaxation in CRZ, says state CM Vijayan

The Kerala government on Monday said it would continue adopting strong measures to secure further relaxation in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) from the Centre, in line with the state's interests.

The central government has approved the draft Coastal Management Plan prepared and submitted by the state to obtain relaxation in the regulation limit for the construction activities on the sea and backwater coasts, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the state assembly.

An official announcement in this regard is expected soon, and with this, the state would get related benefits, he said.

The CM was replying to a calling attention motion by P Nandakumar on the CRZ issue in the House.

In 2019, the union government had issued a notification to allow further relaxation in the Coastal Management Act, and the state appointed a three-member expert panel to study these concessions to make them completely beneficial to the state, he said.

On the basis of the committee's report, detailed discussions were held with the union government, and a draft Coastal Management Plan was prepared.

Public opinion was also sought in 10 coastal districts to get full benefits of the draft plan.

Around 33,000 complaints and suggestions received were collected and forwarded to the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) in Chennai for making necessary changes in the draft plan, he added.

"The draft Coastal Management Plan, including the amendments suggested by the NCSCM, was submitted to the union government with the approval of the cabinet."

The CM further said most of the demands of the state, including the zone change of the panchayats, have been accepted by the Centre, and that is a significant achievement.

Various relaxations received in the CRZ would be a relief to over 10 lakh coastal dwellers in the state, he said.

"It is a great achievement to have been able to obtain relaxation in 66 panchayats where construction activities were strictly restricted," the CM said, adding that the union government had already been requested to make this benefit available to 109 urban panchayats as well.