Do you think the Coastal Regulation Zone norms should be relaxed in cities like Mumbai?

Lying between development and the deep blue sea, Maharashtra’s coastline has long been forbidden fruit for planners and government officials alike owing to the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.

Environmentalists and fisherfolk have been ardent supporters of the CRZ and have sought to prevent its dilution. But builders, politicians and bureaucrats, who have an eye cocked on the highly profitable sea front, particularly in Mumbai, have been lobbying hard with the central government to ease these norms.

Later this month, Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh will be visiting Mumbai to weigh the issue. What would you tell him if he were to grant you an audience on this issue?