‘Do not forcibly evict coastal people’

Bishop of Alappuzha Mar James Anaparambil has urged the State government not to forcibly evict coastal people from their homes in the name of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) violations.

In a press statement issued after a pastoral conference organised to discuss matters related to the Coastal Regulation Zone at Alappuzha Bishop House on Wednesday, the bishop said the CRZ notification of 2011 had given permission to fishermen and others living near the coast to reconstruct and build new houses. In December 2019, the Alappuzha Coastal District Committee (CDC) had identified 4, 536 unauthorised constructions in the CRZ area in the district.

He urged the government to re-examine the list prepared as it included a large number of legally constructed houses including those built by the government under the Livelihood Inclusion and Financial Empowerment (LIFE) Mission.