NFF submits proposals to Jairam Ramesh . . . .

NFF secretary T.Peter, who is also the president of the Kerala Swathanthra Matsyathozhilali Federation (KSMTF), said in the proposal submitted to the Minister that Swaminathan Committee report had strongly endorsed many of the demands raised by fishermen andenvironmentalists during the anti-Costal Zone Management struggle.

The report has set a new broad-based agenda for the conservation of the coast and the protection of habitat and livelihoods of fishing community, he said.

Peter welcomed the suggestion of the Swaminathan panel for a separate piece of legislation for the protection of rights of fishing communities. However, the draft Bill, which is already in circulation, is a poor adaptation of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. The draft Bill does not consider the specificities of fisheries and fishing communities and the ground realities, he said.

The 25 amendments made so far lack legitimacy as most were made without eliciting public response and were often meant to weaken the notification, he alleged. He said that the state CZM Authorities (CZMA) should be strengthened with technical and administrative human resources. The interests of the fishing community are not normally represented in CZMAs. So, more representatives of the fishing community or fishermen’s organisation had to be included in the CZMAs,
Peter said.

A district-level mechanism under the District Collector should be set up for the implementation, enforcement and monitoring of the CRZ notification, he said. He demanded the setting up of a task force for the formulation of methods and guidelines for the implementation and enforcement of CRZ notification, 1991. The task force should have representation from fishing community organisations. He said that the rights of fishing communities to the coast had to be recognised. All areas of fishing communities in the CRZ that have been encroached upon should be cleared of encroachments and handed over to the fishing community. All existing houses of fisherfolk within 0-500 m should be regularised.

The non-fisherfolk settled within 0-50 m should be immediately evacuated, he said. The fisherfolk within 0-50 m should be rehabilitated within the CRZ area. Houses belonging to fishing communities in the CRZ should not be transferred or sold to non-fishing communities, Peter said