MVV to stage demo against CZM notification

Chennai, July 9 (UNI) The 'Meenavar Viduthalai Vengaigal' (MVV), an outfit espousing the cause of the fishing community in Tamil Nadu, would take out a rally and organise a protest demonstration here on July 11, demanding that the Centre scrap the Coastal Zone Management (CZM) notification-2007.

Talking to newspersons here, MVV President R Mangaiyarselvan said the notification, replacing the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification-1991, would dislocate the fishermen and deny them their livelihood.

Stating that objections pured from various parts of the country for the notification issued by the Centre on May one, he said as many fishermen were still not aware of the dangers involved in the notification. The Centre should extend the time for raising objections from 60 days to three more months.

He said to explain the dangers involved in the notification to the fishing community, who would be the immediate victims, and to urge the Centre to scrap the notification, MVV would organise a rally, involving about 10,000 fishermen from different parts of the state.

The CZM notification, based on the recommendations of eminent Agriculture Scientist M S Swaminathan, had redefined the coastal zone, comprising the coastal areas falling within the jurisdiction of the local bodies and 12 nautical miles offshore.

This would prove detrimental to the fishing community as they could no longer live in the coastal areas, leave alone drying their nets and keeping their boats, he said.

Earlier, putting up of any permanent structure within 500 metres from the high tide line was barred, but in the notification, the Swaminathan Committee had recommended setting up of industries in the coastal zone, which posed direct threat to the environment.

This would push the fishermen beyond 1,000 metres from the shoreline, but allowed food courts, hotels and industries which posed threat to the environment, he said.

UNI WS SJ RL PM1904