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Kerala / The New Indian Express

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Trouble continues for Swadeshi Darshan 2.0 at Varkala temple

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The controversial Varkala Dakshin Kashi project launched at the ancient Janardhana Swamy Temple under the Swadeshi Darshan 2.0 scheme has run into fresh trouble with the Varkala municipality slapping yet another stop memo on Tuesday demanding immediate halt of the initiative. The municipal authorities had on September 25 served the first stop memo to the tourism department over the project, which aims to improve basic facilities and enhance the overall pilgrim experience, citing procedural lapses, including lack of approval from the local body, Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA), Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) and Geological Survey of India (GSI). Varkala municipality secretary Mithran G told TNIE that the Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society, the implementing agency, launched piling activities and excavation of the Varkala Cliff, a geo-heritage site certified as ecologically fragile by a GSI study report, without securing mandatory nod from the KCZMA and KSDMA. A day after receiving the first stop memo, the tourism department convened an online meeting on September 26 and assured all that only minor work and site preparation will be carried out. However, Mithran said their recent site inspection revealed that there was extensive soil removal using JCB and piling work was also under way. The tourism authorities had assured such works will be carried out only after getting the clearance from the municipality, he said. This prompted the civic body to issue the second stop memo. According to the municipality, the land falls within CRZ-II under the notification of the 2019 Coastal Zone Management Authority. Clearance from KCZMA is mandatory for any construction within 500m of the high tide line. We have written to the district collector, KCZMA and KSDMA and will initiate further action based on the response, Mithran said. The Varkala Cliff was declared a geo-heritage site by the GSI in 2014. GI studies classified it as an environmentally fragile region, warning that construction activities could compromise the cliffs stability. It recommended restricting construction to beyond 100m from the cliffs edge. Recently, the collector had issued a stop memo to another private resort project on the South Cliff mandating GSI clearance for further construction activities. Environment Protection and Research Council president S J Sajeev, who raised the complaint, alleged the Swadeshi Darshan 2.0 project was launched without obtaining mandatory clearance. The tourism department is demolishing the cliff in the name of this project, which lacks even a proper detailed report. The project is planned in an unscientific manner, posing serious threat to the centuries-old temple, alleged Sajeev. Procedural lapses First stop memo was issued on September 25 to the tourism department citing procedural lapses According to the municipality, the land falls within CRZ-II under the notification of the 2019 Coastal Zone Management Authority

3 Dec 2025 9:07 am