At picturesque  Valiyaparamba in Kasaragod, residents live in fear of losing their land to investors

Prices of land escalate in the panchayat as investors flock to buy properties to set up retreat homes or homestays; local body demands change in CRZ norms for development

Nearly six months ago, 61-year-old Saraswathy and her 70-year-old husband Lakshmanan, residing in the southern parts of Valiyaparamba panchayat, were taken by surprise when they found their house fenced from all sides by a property developer from Thiruvananthapuram.

Now, their house is isolated, and they have no path to reach the road nearby. The couple is among those who have been living in Valiyaparamba panchayat, which is sandwiched between the sea and the backwaters in Kasaragod, for generations.

The panchayat, which is spread over 12 sq km, with a 24-km-long beach on one side and backwaters on the other, has now gained popularity, attracting investors who purchase properties to set up retreat homes or homestays, or buy the land for future development. And, most of these investors fence the plots. The area is also a prominent nesting site of the rare Olive Ridley Turtles.

Amid these developments, people like Saraswathy and Lakshmanan, who lead a simple life through fishing and collecting coconuts are being forced to part ways with their land. This is happening while the panchayat is strongly recommending the government to change the land from category III B of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) to CRZ category II. The present norms here restrict any construction activity within 500 metres from the coast and 50 meters from the backwaters. Interestingly, the widest portion in the whole panchayat is less than one kilometre and the narrowest part is about 40 meters.

Despite the panchayat being between the sea and the backwaters, it has been categorised as land and not an island as a small portion of it is connected to Ramanthali panchayat in the south. This restricts the relaxations the panchayat gets for an island under the CRZ regulations.

Apparently, the land belonging to Saraswathy and Lakshmanan is suitable for construction activities as per the stipulated CRZ norms. Private resort and real estate developers, based in Thiruvananthapuram, have purchased acres of land in this southern part and other areas of the panchayat. However, the natives here are unable to purchase land or construct houses due to the price rise and land unavailability, he complained.

P. Ramakrishnan, a fisherman, is constantly facing the threat of sea incursion, with his house being just 10 meters away from the coast along the southern part of the panchayat. He said there is no more land available in the vicinity that can be purchased at an affordable cost.