Explained | The Maradu imbroglio of a SC order, flat owners, Kerala govt, and municipal authorities

The demolition of a group of apartments in Maradu municipality in Ernakulam district has been framed both as a tug of war between environmentalists and investors, and between two different arms of the government. The Kerala State Coastal Zone Management Authority, however, contested this, at which point the Panchayat issued a notice to the builders pointing out that the projects violated Coastal Regulation Zone norms. In May 2019, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of KCZMA, noting that the construction activities were done on the shores of the backwaters which “supports exceptionally large biological diversity and constitutes one of the largest wetlands in India.” It stated that the Panchayat did not have the authority to grant permission for the construction without concurrence from KCZMA. Two key points mentioned by the builders and flat owners to defend their case is Maradu being upgraded to a Municipality and the Coastal Zone Management Plan that is used in the case. The Coastal Zone Management Plan applicable in Kerala currently is the one approved in 1996, according to which Maradu is marked as Panchayat and hence falls in Coastal Regulation Zone category CRZ-III.