Public hearing for Coastal Zone Management witnesses vociferous scenes

Nellore: AP Pollution Control Board organised a public hearing which witnessed vociferous scenes as various organisations staged protests at the meet. The hearing was organised to collect opinion on preparing CZM (Coastal Zone Management). People demanded the officials to organise the activity only in coastal areas and not in other places.

Member of the Human Rights Forum (HRF) V S Krishna termed the meet as a farce without proper communication to the stakeholders on the subject. 

He said the Draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) of the district published on the website of the AP Coastal Zone Management Authority (APCZMA) and the details were in English, complex and technical in nature. He pointed out that the guidelines in Annexure I of the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2011 had not been followed or adhered to while conducting the hearing.

Section 5 (ii) of the Notification mandates organizers to consult ‘concerned stakeholders’ for preparation of the CZM Maps. He said the hearing has no validity and demanded cancellation. 

P Anjaneyulu on behalf of the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Chennai, organisation which has been assigned to take up the task of modifying the CRZ mapping, informed that this is applicable to only High Tide Line (HTL) along the creeks, rivers and backwaters and the proposal is for reducing the limit from 500 Metres to 100 Metres. 

Gollala Srinivasulu from CPM said that they were walking out from the proceedings of the hearing since only limited population of the main stakeholders attended the meet. He said the information regarding the process has not been available anywhere at Tahsil offices, Gram Panchayats and other places as the officials were articulating. 

Environmental Engineer Pramodkumar Reddy said aim of the hearing was to collect opinion on the process and they had placed  the info on website, gave newspaper advertisements, and also at all important offices at Mandal and Gram Panchayat level. District Revenue Office S V Nageswara Rao also present.