The fisheries department has initiated a survey to find out the families residing within 50 metres from the high tide line (HTL) in the district prior to the massive rehabilitation project being planned by the department. HTL refers to the line on the land up to which the highest water line reaches during the spring tide. As per the norms laid down by the ministry of environment and forest for coastal regulation zone, the area up to 200m from the HTL is to be earmarked as ‘no development zone’ under CRZ-3. The construction shall be permitted within this zone except for repairs of existing authorized structures not exceeding existing floor space index (FSI), existing plinth area and existing density. An exemption was granted for fishermen between 100m and 200m along with directives to comply with certain conditions. “Our mission is to find out the families who are living close to the shoreline. There have been repeated incidents of coastal erosion in Thiruvananthapuram and a sustainable rehabilitation needs to be effected. We have begun the survey and 10,000 families have already been identified,” said fisheries minister J Mercykutty Amma. The department will shell out Rs 10 lakh each for land and house for a family once the survey is completed. “We are looking at land measuring 2-2.5 cents. A sum of Rs 3 lakh will be used for house and cost of land has to fit within remaining Rs 7 lakh. Flats are also being considered in city areas,” said Mercykutty Amma. The survey is being done by the 18 matsyabhavans in the district. The minister said that priority will be on rehabilitating 16 families who had lost their home at Valiyathura during coastal erosion. As per officials, finding land is the major challenge as replanting families away from their source of livelihood will be tough. An eco-buffer zone will be created on the shoreline earmarked as ‘no development area’.
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