The Latin Catholic community is planning agitation against the provisions of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification.
The
agitation will be led Archbishop of Verapoly Francis Kallarakkal
against the CRZ notification, which poses a threat to the people of
being evicted from their houses.
The Archbishop will inaugurate
the Jana Jagarana Jadha initiated by the Kerala Regional Latin Catholic
Council (KRLCC) at various places in the coastal belt across the state
on February 2.
The CRZ notification was one of the major issues discussed at the recently-concluded state conference of the KRLCC.
The Church representatives said that they were only demanding a relaxation for building houses.
“As
per the notification, no houses should be constructed within 50 metres
from the coast. We only demand for the permission to construct houses
of up to 2,000 square feet. We do not want any relaxation for
commercial buildings,” said Ebenser Chullikkad, a member of the legal
cell of the Kerala Latin Catholic Association (KLCA), Cheranalloor.
He
alleged that CRZ notification is relaxed for mega projects like the
Koodankulam Nuclear Plant, new Airport in Navi Mumbai and the Petronet
LNG Terminal, Kochi.
“We do not understand why the government
follows adamant policy when poor people living in the coastal belts seek
permission to construct small houses,’’ Chullikkad said.
The
Church representatives said that the administrators in the state are yet
to understand how the CRZ notification affects the people living along
the coastal line.