Kerala’s proposal to bring 109 coastal grama panchayats under the less restrictive Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) II category is still awaiting clearance from the Centre, Chief Minister V D Satheesan told the state Assembly on Thursday. The delay continues to hold up eased construction norms in the affected coastal areas.
The state had recommended shifting 175 coastal panchayats from CRZ III to CRZ II. According to the chief minister’s reply to a submission by legislator AKM Ashraf, the Centre has approved the reclassification of 66 panchayats, while the proposal covering the remaining 109 is pending.
The classification determines the extent to which construction and development can take place along Kerala’s coast. The 2019 CRZ notification, issued by the Centre on January 18, 2019, became applicable across the state’s 10 coastal districts on October 16, 2024, after approval of Kerala’s Coastal Zone Management Plan, 2019.
Under the notification, coastal areas with a population density of 2,161 persons per square kilometre or more, based on the 2011 Census, are classified as CRZ III A. Areas with lower population density fall under CRZ III B. The state’s request to reclassify the 175 panchayats was based on a Local Self Government Department notification issued on October 6, 2021, Satheesan said.
The pending decision has implications for households, local bodies and construction activity in coastal settlements. Reclassification from CRZ III to CRZ II would ease restrictions applicable to development, although construction would continue to be governed by the conditions of the relevant CRZ notification and other applicable rules.
The 2019 notification also permits the regularisation of residential buildings constructed by traditional coastal communities without prior approval, subject to conditions. Such regularisation is allowed where the construction was permissible under the 1991 and 2011 CRZ notifications.
The Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority is processing applications under this regularisation provision, according to the chief minister’s statement. The authority’s role covers the examination of applications under the coastal regulation framework, while the Centre’s pending decision remains necessary for the proposed reclassification of the 109 panchayats.
The Assembly disclosure leaves the status of those 109 panchayats unresolved, while the 66 approved panchayats can proceed under their revised CRZ classification. Further construction and regularisation decisions will continue to depend on the applicable CRZ conditions and the processing of proposals by the relevant authorities.
