Greens oppose proposal to lift curbs on high-rises in Wayanad

Environmental organisations in the district have urged the Wayanad district administration to reject the proposal of an all-party action council to lift the restrictions on high-rises in Wayanad. The

Environmental organisations in the district have urged the Wayanad district administration to reject the proposal of an all-party action council to lift the restrictions on high-rises in Wayanad.

The District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) had issued the order on restrictions in 2015 to curb the mushrooming of huge concrete constructions in the hill district, a biodiversity hotspot and ecologically fragile area in the Western Ghats.

According to the directive, the maximum height of a building, including underground constructions, in the Lakkidi area of Vythiri grama panchayat, an ecologically sensitive area, is restricted to 8 metres (maximum two floors). In municipality areas and other areas in the district, constructions are limited to maximum 15 metres (maximum five-floor level) and 10 metres (three-floor level) respectively. Moreover, 500 metres around two ecologically sensitive towns in Vythiri grama panchayat, including Vythiri and Thalippuzha, were declared as red zones.