Tamil Nadu to Hold Consultations with Fishermen on Revised Coastal Zone Management Plan

Chennai- The Tamil Nadu Environment Department is planning to conduct consultative meetings with fishermen association representatives across the state to discuss the final draft of the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), following revisions made by the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR).

The NCCR revised the CZMP on behalf of the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority (TNSCZMA) after facing significant opposition from fishing communities. Fishermen had expressed concerns that the 2022 draft plan omitted critical ecological areas including salt pans, water bodies, backwaters, and other environmentally sensitive zones.

According to sources within the Tamil Nadu Environment Ministry, the NCCR has recently submitted the revised final draft to the TNSCZMA. Supriya Sahu, who serves as both Secretary of the Environment, Climate Change, and Forest Department and Chairperson of TNSCZMA, has directed the Fisheries Department to organize preliminary consultation meetings with representatives from various fishermen's associations across all coastal districts.

The controversy dates back to the 2022 draft CZMP release, which prompted multiple legal challenges before the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Petitioners requested the tribunal to instruct the TNSCZMA to utilize the 1996 CZMP as the base map for preparing the 2019 plan, instead of the 1997 version which allegedly resulted in the exclusion of important ecological areas.

The NGT upheld these concerns and ordered the Tamil Nadu government to prepare the 2019 CZMP using the 1996 base map. However, petitioners claimed that the TNSCZMA failed to comply with this directive.

Additionally, fishermen's organizations opposed the draft land-use maps, arguing they failed to properly mark essential areas such as fishermen's settlements and designated fishing zones. Some petitions highlighted that portions of existing water bodies were missing from the draft maps, rendering them incomplete and inaccurate.

In response, the NGT instructed the TNSCZMA to conduct ground verification of ecologically sensitive areas where necessary or where specific concerns were raised. The tribunal also directed the authority to follow High Court orders and incorporate input from District Collectors. Based on these findings, the draft CZMP must be corrected and updated before releasing the final version for public consultation.

Antony John, a leader of a Tamil Nadu fishermen's association, expressed approval of the government's decision to engage with fishing communities about the CZMP, stating: "We appreciate the Tamil Nadu Environment Department's initiative to consult with fisherfolk before finalising the Coastal Zone Management Plan."