Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan (file) | Photo Credit: THULASI KAKKAT
Ordinary residents of coastal areas live a life of misery after rough sea conditions have caused serious coastal erosion, plunging residents into a situation in which they can neither seek proper medical help nor send children to school, said Kerala’s Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan here on July 6.
Pointing out that there is “widespread suspicion” that the Kerala government has planned to evict people from their residences in coastal areas, Mr. Satheesan said the issue will be raised in the State Assembly.
Mr. Satheesan was speaking to reporters after visiting Edavanakad where around 2.5 km of the coast is under erosion.
“The situation in neighbouring Nayarambalam is the same. The Goshree Island Development Authority (GIDA) constituted to find solutions to problems such as sea erosion faced by coastal residents near Kochi is ineffective. The authority does not even convene regular meetings,” he said.
Mr. Satheesan said granite sea walls have not been renovated after the 2004 tsunami. If the sea wall is repaired, it will offer at least a partial solution to the problem. Instead, the government makes periodic announcements of massive packages for the coastal areas but spends little nor no money to secure the lives of the people, he said.
Coastal development meetings – Theera Sadass — were held in all the important coastal centres by the State Fisheries Minister. The poor people were promised solutions in these meetings. But no project has been implemented, he said.
‘Fishermen hit hard’
The neglect of the government adds to the burden of the coastal people who are unable to go fishing regularly because of weather warnings. They face an acute shortage of fish catch and have to address the spiralling cost of fuel for the fishing boats. The fishermen were given a subsidy of ₹25 when kerosene cost ₹40 a litre during the time of former Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. Even now, the same subsidy amount has continued when the price of the fuel is ₹140 a litre, he pointed out.
The Leader of the Opposition cited an answer received in Lok Sabha recently by Congress leader Hibi Eden, MP, that the Kerala government had not submitted any coastal protection plan to the Central government.
Mr. Satheesan said Kannamaly sank under invading sea waves when the sea wall was restricted to a section of the coast of Chellanam. The government, he said, should give priority to addressing the suffering of the people.
On poor state of roads
He also questioned a claim by Minister for Public Works P.A. Mohamed Riyas that roads in Kerala remained largely undamaged. “The claim is a false one. Roads in Kerala are not suitable for traffic,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Eden said the State government had not submitted any plans to the Union government for protection of the coasts after the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government had gone out of power. Over the last eight years, no new projects have been submitted, he claimed.
