The government is considering a ₹230-crore project to protect the 25-km Vypeen-Munambam coastline that is facing threat of sea erosion, Transport Minister Antony Raju said in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, in the absence of the Fisheries Minister.
He was replying to a submission made by K.N. Unnikrishnan, Vypeen MLA, who had raised the issue at the CM’s complaint-redressal mechanism and also at ‘Theerasadas’.
The project will be readied on the basis of a detailed report submitted by an expert panel from IIT-Madras that had been tasked with conducting the study by the Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation (KSCADC) that integrates development activities in Kerala’s coastal areas to accelerate the development of fisher community.
The panel had said that the 25-km stretch that is prone to sea erosion required a detailed survey of its ocean-floor depth, before venturing into shore-protection works. The ₹230-crore project readied by the IIT will also cover measures regarding fishing and tourism.
The project’s DPR had been handed over to the Goshree Islands Development Authority in July. Aspects like funding ought to be finalised. This will be done after consulting stakeholder agencies, including Irrigation, PWD, Kerala Tourism and Local Self-Government department, Mr. Unnikrishnan said in a release.