Kochi: As many as 625 buildings have violated Coastal Regulations Zone (CRZ) rules on the banks of Vembanad lake, according to the Local Self-Government Department of Kerala.
The Vembanad lake, the largest lake in Kerala spans across Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts.
In a report filed before the Kerala High Court, the department said the officials who allowed these illegal constructions were facing trial in the Vigilance cases filed against them. The officials include panchayat secretaries, the government informed the court.
These disclosures were made when the High Court was considering a plea on the issue. Earlier, the amicus curiae had submitted a report in the case. The panchayat directorate’s report was in reply to the amicus curiae’s report.
Meanwhile, two illegal buildings - Kapico resort and Muddy resort in Panavally panchayat - obtained a stay against demolition from the Supreme Court.
Violations included seven commercial buildings in Ernakulam, Kottayam and Alappuzha districts. The remaining structures are houses built by locals. All of them were issued notices based on the Kerala Panchayat Act. Moreover, Vigilance Department filed cases against four panchayat secretaries and three lower officials.
In Ernakulam district, 383 violations, including five illegal resorts, were identified along the Vembanad Lake, says the report. In Alappuzha, there were 212 illegal buildings and 30 in Kottayam district.
The report also says that the satellite images highlighting places where CRZ rules apply along the banks of the Vembanad lake were not made available to the panchayats. Only the satellite maps of Alappuzha district have been released, it points out.
Moreover, no special directives have been issued to the Self-Government Department or local bodies to implement the comprehensive coastal zone conservation project prepared by the Earth Science Centre to protect the ecologically-fragile Vembanad lake.
The Supreme Court had recently ordered the demolition of four flat complexes at Maradu panchayat of Ernakulam district for flouting CRZ norms.
