Environmentalist wants Centre to wave red flag to construction of fishing harbour
Rajakkamangalam sand dunes.
Chennai: Will Union ministry of environment, forests and climate change (MoEFCC) crack whip on private lobby, which is trying to push for construction of fishing harbour in Agastheeswaram taluk in picturesque and serene Kanyakumari district, and save natural sand dunes from getting wiped off? Rajakkamangalam Thurai Fishing Harbor Pvt Ltd has proposed to develop a fishing harbor at Needakarai B village in Agastheewaram taluk and even managed to get the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance from MoEFCC through fraudulent means.
The area in which the project is proposed has natural sand dunes as high as 80 ft. The place is also the breeding ground for marine turtles, according to environmentalists based in Kanyakumari. As per CRZ notification, 2011, the sand dunes are classified as CRZ-I (B), the area between Low Tide Line (LTL) and High Tide Line (HTL) where activities and new construction are strictly prohibited.
The private firm has allegedly managed the State officials in Tamil Nadu Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute of Remote Sensing at Anna University to a get a favorable report done. The Tamil Nadu government has sent the recommendation to MoEFCC to establish fishing harbor with factual errors and kept the union ministry in dark about presence of natural sand dunes. Based on the recommendation of TN government, the MoEFCC granted CRZ clearance for the private firm on July 18, 2011.
However, the mismanagement of the facts was exposed when Conservation of Natural Trust and Pannaiyoor Region Citizens Welfare Trust petitioned the ministry and also the National Green Tribunal (NGT) southern zone. Following, a site inspection was conducted by the Additional PCCF and Scientist ‘F’ Regional office, MoEFCC in Chennai on January 17, 2015. The investigators have revealed that the project area has sand dunes and there have been instances of laying of eggs by turtles in the project area.The MoEFCC has issued showcause notices to the chairman of Tamil Nadu Coastal Zone Management Authority and the director of Institute of Remote Sensing at Anna University for misrepresenting the facts.
The union ministry has also issued show cause notice to Rajakkamangalam Thurai Fishing Harbor Pvt Ltd and suspended the CRZ clearance given to the private company pending decision. It has also asked the firm to maintain status quo and not proceed with any constructions.
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