Trivandrum : The Kerala Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation has demanded that the Central Government review the decision to implement the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), in the wake of the freezing of the 1991 CRZ law and the Dr.M.S.Swaminathan Report. The Federation has alleged that the move to bring Panchayats, Municipalities and Corporations lying within the high tide line and within 12 nautical miles of the coastal region is to serve the interests of the tourism and sand mining lobbies and that it will create several problems in fishworkers being able to construct houses and receiving title deeds. The Federation demanded that the Plan should not be implemented without taking into account the views of the fishworkers and that the State Government should come out with its stand.

Hundreds of fishworkers marched from the Rakthasakshi Mandapam at Payalam to the Secretariat and showed their protest by burning the Swaminathan Committee Report. The President of KSMTF Shri.T.Peter inaugurated the protest march. Shri.A.Andrews, Shri.Rajan Lazer, Shri.Anto Elias, Ms.Elizabeth Antony, Ms.Friska Kurisippan, Ms.Maglin Peter, Shri.John J.P., Shri.J.Jerome and Shri.Martin Benny spoke on the occasion.

As a part of the Campaign the fisherfolk protested against the new CMZ recommendations by M S Swaminathan. The group headed by PUCL Sreenivasan, Gilbert from GUIDE, who is also the legal advisor for the fisherfolk from tamilnadu and pondy, and Jaideep of actionaid, protested against the new CMZ rules by walking out of a workshop organised by the CPR Environment Education Centre. They also burnt the CMZ report inside the campus. The meeting was organised by CPR Environment Education Centre. The workshop was organised to create awareness on the CRZ rules of 1991 by the Department of Environment, Government of Tamil Nadu at CPR Centre. Those present at the workshop included the Director of Environment, CRZ Mr. Neelakantan, and his secretary, the CPR centre was headed by Dr.Nanditha Krishna. As the inaugural got over the campaign members asked one minute for presenting their view on the topic. since the Director of Environment was not willing to take a stand on the CMZ issue, the Campaign members walked out of the workshop and also burnt the CMZ report.