vypeen Island in the backwaters of Cochin, Kerala, has been rocked by protests against government plans on development of the island. "The government wants to sell reclaimed land of the island to multinationals to build a bridge to the island," says Jacob Vadakkancherry, chairperson of Swasraya Vypeen (sv), a voluntary organisation.
The project was envisaged in 1997. Soon the sv filed a public interest litigation. The Nagpur-based National Environment and Engineering Research Institute also criticised the project. According to sv , the reclamation goes against the Coastal Regulation Zone Act. The judgement, however, was passed in favour of the project. The work on reclamation has started even though many people may lose their land.
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