Centre has not given a single rupee to Kerala for coastal protection: Minister Saji Cherian

Kochi | Kerala Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian on Saturday claimed that the central government has not given a single rupee for protecting the 600-km long coastal area of the state from getting flooded by sea water during the rainy season.

According to Cherian, the Centre was requested to provide funds for coastal region protection, "but not a single rupee was given".

Despite the lack of aid from the Centre, the Left government has implemented the most number of welfare projects for the people of the coastal region.

He was speaking with reference to the recent protests in Chellanam here over coastal erosion and flooding of homes in the area by sea water.

He also said the state government was carrying out work for protection of the coastline at various places, including Chellanam here and Chethy in Alappuzha district, but availability of raw materials, like rocks, is a problem.

"So, we shifted to tetrapods from rocks. Now we are exploring the possibility of using geotubes and if it can be implemented, we will be able to protect the coastline without any environmental issues," the minister said.

Geotextile tubes are aligned with the shoreline to weaken wave energy and protect against coastal erosion.

He said that despite these difficulties in protecting the long Kerala coastline, the government has already spent Rs 400 crore out of the Rs 750 crore earmarked for coastal protection.