Indian Environment and Forest Ministry to consult fishing communities before changing coastal regulations Controversial Draft CMZ Notification to lapse

Press Release : Bangalore : 3 July 2009

In a significant development, Mr. Jairam Ramesh, Indian Minister for Environment and Forests, has confirmed that no change will be undertaken in India's Coastal Regulation Notification without first consulting fishing and other communities along India's coastline. He made this commitment to a delegation of representatives from various fishing communities coordinated by the National Fishworkers Forum and Kerala Swatantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (Kerala Independent Fishworkers Federation) when they met him in Delhi on 02 July.

Coastal Zone Management and Regulations

3 July, 2009

Background

Why oppose the proposed Coastal Zone Management Notification

Over the past decade, as the world has worked to strengthen environmental regulations and norms, India has worked to dilute them. The process began with the BJP led NDA government at the Centre setting up the Govindarajan Committee on Investment Reforms in the late 1990s which was essentially a bureacrat and technocrat led initiative.