Coastal Rights
The GOI notification of 1991 on Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) was a major victory for the struggle of fish-workers against large fishing vessels and encroachment of coasts by other commercial activities. Despite large violations of the CRZ, it remained a landmark regulation recognising customary livelihood rights.
Since 2005, the GOI has attempted to repeal the CRZ through a new Coastal Management Zone (CMZ) legislation. There has been a strong resistance from various organisations of fishing communities, and environment and community rights groups. The Kerala Swatantra Matsya Thozhilalar Federation (KSTMF) has been in the forefront of this joint struggle leading several demonstrations, dharnas and rallies, both at the state and national levels. The Ministry of Environment and Forests was forced to agree to take back the CMZ legislation and constitute open hearings with representatives of fish-workers and the fishing community. This was conveyed to the National Fishworkers’ Forum (NFF) delegation which met the Minister in Delhi on 2 July 2009. The NFF delegation met with the President of India, Ministers of Agriculture, Environment, Labour and Home, MPs of coastal states and key officials. This delegation was a follow up of their Kutch to Kolkata march along the entire coast last year and the subsequent agitation in Delhi over a charter of 16 demands. These demands included the scrapping of the new Coastal Management Zone notification, enactment of a comprehensive legislation to regulate fishing in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the ratification of the ILO’s “work in fishing” convention and the waiver of the debts of fishermen and fisherwomen on the lines of the debt waiver granted to farmers. NTUI has been supportive of this struggle but due to lack of any central or state level policy or organisational strategy, the efforts were sporadic and could not be sustained.