A government proposal to relocate coastal communities has run into a wall of protest by fisherfolk who feel that the project would deny them access to the sea, deprive them of their livelihood and leave the coastal belt open to encroachment. To be funded by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board, the Green Corridor project involves the construction of a 15-m wide coastal road linking fishing harbours, landing centres, tourist locations, and fishing villages from Thiruvananthapuram to Manjeswaram along a distance of 522 km. According to the draft report, a 35-m-wide green belt would be created along the western side of the road to check coastal erosion. The government has stated that the project estimated to cost Rs.7,881 crore would protect the coastal areas from erosion during the monsoon and spur the development of the coastal belt. But the proposal to relocate all the families living up to 50 m from the coast has been met with stout opposition from the fishing community. We have come to know that about 20,000 families would be shifted to apartment buildings 500 m away from the shoreline. This represents an unscientific approach to relocation, says T. Peter, secretary, National Fishworkers Forum. Fishermen will be deprived of their livelihood if they are denied access to the sea. Besides, most families would prefer independent houses to apartments. But we were not consulted before the government decided to formulate the project, he said. The NFF also fears that relocation of fishermen families would leave the coast open for land grab and encroachment by tourist resorts and industries. It wants the government to provide financial assistance up to Rs.10 lakh for those families willing to relocate from erosion-prone areas of the coast, while retaining ownership of the land, a proposal mooted in the LDF manifesto. That way the number of houses requiring relocation would come down to 10,000, leading to a corresponding cut in the project estimate, Mr. Peter points out. The NFF and the Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhilai Federation are mobilizing the coastal communities for an agitation against the Green Corridor project. They want the government to consult the stakeholder communities before launching the project.
2016, The Hindu