Priyanka Mary Francis, Deputy Commissioner, said on Friday that the identification of sand bars in Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas would be taken up as soon as fishermen make a request for it.
Addressing presspersons here, Ms. Francis said that excess sand could be removed only if fishermen submit a memorandum seeking its removal in rivers in CRZ areas if it disturbed the movement of their boats. Regarding non-CRZ areas, the State government had already sent a proposal for three sand blocks in the district to the Union government. This is yet to be approved by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, she said.
To a query, Ms. Francis said that so far there had been no memorandums or petitions seeking a high-level probe into the death of Lakshmivara Tirtha Swami of Shiroor Mutt.
Minister for Urban Development, U.T. Khadar, had recently said that the State government could order a high-level probe in the Shiroor seer’s death, if such a request was made to the district administration.