The Kerala Government has appointed a three-member committee to inquire into the violation of Coastal Regulation Zone norms in the construction of a controversial DLF apartment complex in a Kochi suburb.

Environment Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan told the State Assembly that a recommendation by the Chief Secretary to this effect had been accepted.

The committee has been asked to submit its report within 15 days, the Minister said.

‘Norms violated’

Earlier, EK Bharat Bhushan, Chief Secretary, had found in a special investigation that the riverside apartment complex was in clear violation of these norms.

“A portion of the building is protruding beyond the mandatory setback. It is not clear whether the Floor Area Ratio regulations have been observed,” the report, which was tabled in the State Assembly, said.

Construction had started without securing formal clearance from the Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority or the Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Citing an earlier report by the Centre for Earth Science Studies and time-series images of Google Earth since 2005, the report said the reclamation of the backwaters was clear.

Out of turn

There was no valid CRZ clearance issued till date for the project and the construction was, therefore, illegal, the report said.

Procedures to be followed for granting environmental clearance had been ignored. The State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority had taken up the case out-of-turn.

The very next meeting of the Authority had decided to grant environmental and CRZ clearance without the mandatory recommendation of the State Expert Appraisal Committee.

The report went on to indict two senior officials in the Government, including an Additional Chief Secretary, for his ‘highly irregular action’ in dealing with the DLF issue.

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