Kerala’s proposal to move 109 coastal grama panchayats from Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) III to CRZ II is still awaiting clearance from the Centre, delaying the application of eased construction norms in the affected areas, according to Chief Minister V D Satheesan’s statement in the Assembly on Thursday.
The state had recommended the reclassification of 175 coastal panchayats. The Centre has approved 66 of those requests, while the remaining 109 proposals are pending, Satheesan said in response to a submission by AKM Ashraf. The decision will determine which coastal settlements can be governed by the less restrictive CRZ-II framework.
The issue became operationally relevant in Kerala after the Centre approved the state’s Coastal Zone Management Plan, 2019. The plan came into effect across the state’s 10 coastal districts on October 16, 2024, based on the CRZ notification issued on January 18, 2019.
Under the 2019 notification, coastal areas are classified according to population density. Areas with a population density of at least 2,161 persons per square kilometre, based on the 2011 Census, fall under CRZ III A. Areas with lower population density are classified as CRZ III B. The state’s reclassification proposal was based on a notification issued by the local self-government department on October 6, 2021.
The classification has a direct bearing on construction permissions and the treatment of existing buildings in coastal settlements. A shift from CRZ III to CRZ II would ease restrictions applicable to areas that are already substantially developed, although construction would remain subject to the conditions prescribed under the coastal regulation framework.
Satheesan also said the 2019 CRZ notification permits the regularisation, subject to conditions, of residential buildings constructed by traditional coastal communities without prior approval. Such regularisation is possible where the construction was permissible under the 1991 and 2011 CRZ notifications.
The Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority is processing applications under this provision, according to the statement. The authority’s role places the implementation of the regularisation provision within Kerala’s existing coastal regulatory system, while the pending reclassification proposals remain with the Centre.
For residents and local bodies in the 109 panchayats awaiting approval, the pending decision leaves the applicable classification unresolved. It also keeps construction permissions and regularisation cases tied to the existing CRZ framework until the Centre takes a decision on the state’s proposal. The Assembly was informed that 66 panchayats have already received approval for inclusion under CRZ II, while no clearance has yet been reported for the remaining 109.
