Clearance refused for resort project in Kerala's Vembanad lake island.

The 54-villa project of Kapico Kerala at Nediyathuruthu in Vembanad lake is “not a permissible activity,” the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA) has concluded.

A report on the project’s Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) violations prepared by Veena M. Madhavan, member secretary of the authority, was handed over to Environment Department Secretary Usha Titus at the KCZMA meeting.

It is for the fourth time that the authority is submitting a report on the project to the department. The Hindu had earlier reported on the CRZ violations and also the delay in handing over the KCZMA’s report to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

According to the report, field investigations conducted by the National Centre for Earth Sciences Studies had found that the “entire Nediyathurth island is a filtration pond,” and is “categorised as CRZ 1 (1).”

The island is also depicted as filtration pond in the map of the approved Coastal Zone Management Plan, and the area falls under the CRZ 1 Category, it said.

The “entire island is a No Development Zone, which is relatable to environmentally sensitive area being a breeding ground for fish and marine life,” the report pointed out. Incidentally, the ED had not responded to repeated demands from the Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change for an action taken report on the ₹400 crore project.

It had also asked the KCZMA to consider the CRZ clearance application for the project, which was completed a few years ago, afresh.

The CRZ violations came under judicial scrutiny following a writ petition moved by a local fisherman.

The KCZMA has taken the position that the project, which was declared illegal and violative of environmental norms by courts, cannot be considered for environmental clearance.

In the Kapico case, the Kerala High Court had held that the structures were constructed in violation of laws, the report said.

THE HINDU