Settlement Development of Indigenous People in the Context of Coastal Area Development in Kozhikode

Abstract

The project aims to prepare a settlement development plan for fishermen community living in the coastal stretch of Kozhikode city of Kerala in the context of the urban development that will be triggered due to the amendments in the CRZ rules in 2019. Several restrictions in built use, land-use, FSI etc that regulated urban growth in CRZ-2 is either withdrawn or relaxed in the 2019 amendments which create challenges of displacement of native population and removal of their traditional land rights. The project involves primary and secondary study about the amendments in CRZ 2019, coastal area and the native fishermen community. Case studies are done to derive the techniques and approaches that can be used in the sustainable settlement development of the native communities living in urban areas. The technique of land pooling and reconstitution is used to unlock the land value which can finance the settlement development process. Land value estimation before and after land pooling is assessed by using weighted overlay analysis in GIS to understand the economic feasibility of the project. Land is pooled and redeveloped under the Fishermen Cooperative Society and the surplus value generated in the process is proposed to be used for settlement development through improving housing and infrastructure. FCS can invest in fishing related activities like production, processing and marketing which can generate both revenue and employment. Unlocking the value of land in a fast urbanizing city like Kozhikode through land pooling can help native fishermen communities to generate finance for mechanizing fishing, diversifying fisheries to secondary and tertiary sectors, recapture profit from middlemen and corporates, reestablish sustainable fishing practices and create an adaptive and resilient fishermen settlement.