The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : ‘CZM norms will affect fishermen’

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‘CZM norms will affect fishermen’

Special Correspondent

— Photo: C. Ratheesh Kumar

ADDRESSING CONCERNS: Fisheries Minister S.Sarma inaugurating a seminar on coastal zone management norms organised by the Centre for Environment Education in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government would not approve the coastal zone management norms that go against the interests of traditional fishermen and do not protect their livelihood, Minister for Fisheries S. Sarma said here on Friday.

Inaugurating a seminar on ‘Coastal zone management norms’ organised by the Centre for Environment Education (CEE), Mr. Sarma said that the influence of globalisation was quite obvious in the draft CZM norms. Development should not be at the cost of the life of the fisherfolk. Those in power may be guided by the Constitution, but the poor are governed not by rules, but by the problems of life. They will not accept rules that entail displacement or harm their existence. Similarly, development and environment should be complementary. Environmental concerns should be addressed while taking up development ventures, but it should not be shelved in the name of environmental protection, he said.

If displaced from the coastal area, the fisherfolk would be deprived of their livelihood. The draft regulations help unrestricted capital investment in the coastal areas. The State government will encourage development of tourism, but it should not be at the expense of the culture and tradition, he said.

CEE programme coordinator G. Padma presided. George Mercier, MLA, Vicar-General of Trivandrum diocese Eugene Perieira and others spoke.

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