Thiruvananthapuram: A proposed housing project for fisherfolk at Valiyathura, which envisages 24 flats near the Food Corporation of India (FCI) godown, is yet to take off as it awaits Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance. Meanwhile, at nearby Kochuveli, construction of another 144-flat rehabilitation project is progressing at a slow pace.Valiyathura project, estimated to cost Rs 5.74 crore, is meant to rehabilitate fisher families hit by coastal erosion and other vulnerabilities. The previous state govt granted it administrative sanction, but construction has not begun as the mandatory CRZ clearance is still pending, according to sources close to the project.The project was planned with a construction period of about 12 months. However, the delay in securing regulatory clearance has kept it from moving to the execution stage, leaving the proposed 24 housing units on paper.Both projects come under the Punargeham coastal rehabilitation programme, through which the state govt aims to relocate fisher families living in vulnerable areas close to the shoreline. The fisheries department has identified housing projects and other rehabilitation measures as part of the effort to shift families living within 50 metres of the high-tide line to safer locations.At Kochuveli, work on the larger project is under way on land provided by the Latin Catholic Church near the church premises. Estimated to cost Rs 37.62 crore, it comprises 144 flats in multiple blocks, each with 12 flats spread over three floors, with four units on each floor.Structural work on the first block is over, while foundation work for most of the other blocks is substantially complete. However, sources said the overall pace of construction remains slow.The project began in June 2025 and was originally scheduled to finish in 18 months. The govt now expects the work to be completed by Aug 2027, after which the flats are to be handed over to eligible fisher families.“Work is progressing, but the pace needs to pick up considerably to meet the revised completion schedule,” said a source close to the project.The Kerala State Coastal Area Development Corporation (KSCADC) is executing both the Kochuveli and Valiyathura projects under the programme.Together, the projects show the differing stages of fisherfolk rehabilitation housing in the capital: Kochuveli has moved into construction, while Valiyathura still awaits the clearance it needs before work can begin. The fisheries department will prepare the beneficiary list for both projects once they are completed.The state govt has already completed and handed over several Punargeham housing projects in the district. These include the 332-flat Prathyasha complex at Muttathara, delivered in 2025. The fisheries department says hundreds of flats have been completed under the broader rehabilitation programme, and that several more projects are at different stages.
