Coastal regulation: A garb for milking Mandarmani riches The Statesman03 Jul 2013 | || | | Statesman News service Kolkata, 2 July In a bid to to regularise illegal structures in Mandarmani, which falls under Coastal Regulation Zone I, the the state government is planning to bring it under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) III or IV. CRZ I is an economically sensitive zone and as it is within 500 meters from the High Tide Line (HTL), no construction is allowed here. Many resorts have been constructed close to the sea violating CRZ rules and other state government laws. This has affected the ecological balance. At present, around 40 resorts are under construction taking the total to 90 buildings . To reap benefits from the huge influx of tourists in the region, the government is planning to regularise the hotels and bring them under CRZ (III or IV). A source in the state urban development department said the state government is planning to regularise the illegally-constructed hotels. Around 90 such resorts constructed on the beach have taken heavy toll on the lives of the fishing community. Mr Debasis Shyamal, general secretary, Dakshin Banga Matshajibi Forum, said: "The state fisheries department should look after the well-being of the fishermen. The department should immediately take up the issue with the tourism department. The fish landing centre has reduced from 16 hectares to 10 hectares in the last decade due to erosion. These resorts also removed the high sand dunes which protect us from the advancing sea." Disha, an NGO working on environment issues filed a case against the illegal constructions in Mandarmani after which the court ordered the government to stop the constructions. But the state failed the implement the order. Mr Sasanka Sekhar Dev, an environment activist and the president of Disha said: "To dissipate the force of waves, the resorts built concrete walls, put up boulders along the wall which destroy the beach as water rebounds taking away the sand by digging into the surface." Mr Sitangshu Giri, the head of the Kalindi panchayat, for the past two terms during whose tenure the resorts were authorised, said: "Steps were taken to illegal constructions. But, neither the state environment department nor the coastal zone management authority identified or mapped the CRZ area." Three years ago a high tide swept away some rooms of a resort.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 11:45:52 +0000
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