"CRZ notification: Fishermen plan protest; Kerala not to oppose", 30 December 2018

The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification approved by the Union Cabinet has evoked mixed response in the state [of Kerala]. Though the coastal populace welcome the reduction of No Development Zone (NDZ) and the de-freezing the Floor Area Ratio (FAR), they vehemently oppose the decision to allow development of basic infrastructure for tourism development as they fear it will displace the fishermen from the coastal areas.

Various fishermen organisations have called for a nation-wide protest against the notification...Approving the notification, the state government noted it will promote economic growth while respecting the conservation principles of coastal regions. It will result in significant employment generation and rejuvenate the coastal areas while reducing their vulnerabilities, the government said in a release...

Rejecting the proposed CRZ Notification, the National Fish Workers Forum called for nation-wide protests demanding a total withdrawal of the notification. "The sole purpose of the notification is to pave the way to sell off the coastal land and water to corporate business houses," said [the] general secretary...

The Kerala Matsya Thozhilali Aikya Vedi (TUCI) has decided to launch a nation-wide protest campaign demanding the withdrawal of the CRZ notification. “The notification is aimed at providing legal sanctity to the encroachments on coastal land . This will lead to the destruction of the coastal ecosystem and eventually lead to surrendering the coastal land to the construction-tourism-real estate lobbies,” said [the] state president...