Left, fishermen organisations decry violation of CRZ rules

Constitution of district level monitoring committees sought

Visakhapatnam: District committees of CPI, CPI (M) and many fishermen organisations decried the gross violation of Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) stipulations along the coastline and pleaded with the National Human Rights Commission to take action against illegal constructions by corporates along the coast so as to protect the interests of the poor fishermen as they were also having the right to live by doing venture into the sea.

Following a complaint from the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) of Visakhapatnam, the representative of National Human Rights Commission Prof K S Chalam conducted a Public Hearing on the CRZ violations here on Sunday under the aegis of Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority.

Initiating the process of public hearing, Prof Chalam informed that Human Rights Act came into force in 1993 through which the National Human Rights Commission was set up. He said that every human being has a right to live with liberty and dignity and wherever it was lacking, then the Human Rights Commission will intervene.

While thanking the INTACH for lodging the complaint, he said it was about the construction of a tourism project near Rushikonda beach violating the CRZ rules. In his representation, AP State Secretariat Member of CPI(M) Ch Narasing Rao alleged that in view of the notification given in 2011 by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, majority of the coast land was being grabbed.

Prof. Chalam said as per the CRZ stipulations, no structure should be built within a distance of 500 mtrs from the sea but the corporates with the support of the government officials have constructed star hotels and multiplexes which hamper the livelihood of the fishermen.

He further alleged that the ongoing Hinduja Power Project works on the coastline was also completely against to the CRZ rules and there was no action from the government side. Basing on the content of the notification only, the Brandex company at Atchutapuram and other pharma companies in the Pharma City began discharging their effluents into the sea through a pipeline which causes harm for fish.

He also reminded that the fishermen have also opposed the public hearing for the proposed Petroleum, Chemical and Petrochemicals Investment Region (PCPIR) along the coastline. Prof. Chalam appealed to the commission to safeguard lives of fisherfolk living in 97 villages in the district from those violating the CRZ rules.

CPI district leader M Paidiraju alleged that the corporate bodies were grabbing coastline from the R K Beach to Bhimunipatnam by setting up various hatcheries, hotels and tourism resorts, quiet against to the CRZ rules. ‘There was no response or action to our complaints to the Vuda, GVMC or to the District Administration about the CRZ violations,” he added.

“If we go to the Vuda to complain against CRZ violations, they direct us to go to GVMC and in turn, the GVMC to the Revenue wing. Actually, to whom we shall have to approach to air our problem,” asked an angry fisherman leader O Bhushan.

A fisherwoman Paradesamma of Jodugullapalem and representing Visakha Mathyakara Yuvajana Samskhema Sangham alleged that the forest officials were obstructing them from drying the fish and they damaged all their 30 huts. She pleaded with the commission to take necessary action.