Iconic Varkala cliff losing battle as govt-approved violations go on

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: At a time when Varkala is being celebrated globally after finding a place on the Unesco tentative list, the historic cliff is ironically facing one of its worst phases of destruction with even government-approved projects contributing to the violations. Allegedly, the government has granted approval for two major projects that have encouraged large-scale interventions on the fragile and fast-eroding cliff. The government has given approval for a `25-crore project under the Swadeshi Darshan scheme at Varkalas centuries-old Janardhana Swamy Temple. Despite repeated notices from the Varkala municipality, the tourism department continues to go ahead with piling, hill excavation and construction work. According to municipal authorities, they have already issued a stop memo for the project. It is learned that ULCCS (Uralungal Labour Contract Cooperative Society), the executing agency, has demolished significant portions of the cliff to facilitate the work. We have our limitations because its a government project. The tourism department is yet to submit the mandatory application for approval from the local body. The project also lacks CRZ clearance, said a senior official of the Varkala municipality. Recently, the government also approved the construction of a boutique resort on the South Cliff under the single window clearance mechanism, introduced to ease business procedures. In contrast, the Varkala municipality itself has issued around 61 notices to various unauthorised structures and violations along the North Cliff. The repeated green lighting of such projects by higher authorities has put the municipality in an awkward position. The double standards have not gone down well with stakeholders who have been served notices. The law should be the same for everyone. If they want to clear all structures, then both the municipality and the government should knock down everything on the cliff. What is happening now is selective enforcement targeting small businesses operating on one or two cents of their own land, said E M Rasheed, owner of Hill Top Ayurvedic Beach Resort, one of the oldest tourism establishments on the cliff. He alleged that corruption among municipal officials is responsible for the mushrooming of unauthorised structures. Environmental activists have filed several complaints against the government-approved violations. Sanjeev S J of the Environmental Protection and Research Council (EPRC), who has submitted multiple complaints, said the Single Window Clearance system is being misused to push through violations on the South Cliff. Massive destruction is happening along the cliff with explicit government approval. The boutique resort with an infinity pool is coming up on the South Cliff without the landslide susceptibility analysis mandated by the disaster management authority, he alleged. He added that piling and demolition work is taking place dangerously close to the 2,000-year-old Sree Janardhana Swamy Temple. It is disheartening that the government itself is setting a precedent for violations instead of conserving and protecting the cliff, he said.