With an amendment to the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2011, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has given a three-month window (till June 30) for illegal houses along the coast in state to seek regularisation by granting post-facto clearances.The move will benefit a large number of people engaged in fishing to get their constructions regularised provided they adhere to the rules laid down by the Ministry. The latest amendments to CRZ notification, 2011 were notified on March 6.According to the new rules, only those projects will be eligible for relaxation where activities permissible under the CRZ notification have been undertaken and the construction work for the project does not fall in the list of prohibited activities of Coastal Zone Management Authority.The government officials feel that the amendment will pave the way for relaxation of the rules for traditional fishermen community for getting their applications for construction of new houses and repair of the existing ones cleared. The latest notification said, All activities, which are otherwise permissible under the provisions of this notification, but have commenced construction without prior clearance, would be considered for regularisation only in such cases wherein the project applied for regularisation in the specified time and the projects which are in violation of CRZ norms would not be regularised.Such cases where the construction have already commenced before the date of this notification without the requisite CRZ clearance, shall be considered only by MoEFCC, provided that the request for such regularisation is received in the said Ministry by June 30, 2018, it added.The notification further stressed that the concerned Coastal Zone Management Authority shall give specific recommendations regarding regularisation of such proposals and shall certify that there have been no violations of the CRZ regulations, while making such recommendations. Meanwhile, the notification states that the central government has received representations from various stakeholders, including state governments, regarding extension of validity of clearance issued under CRZ notification and for consideration of post facto clearance. The latest amendment also held that the CRZ clearance accorded to the projects under this notification shall be valid for a period of seven years from the date of issue of such clearance.Provided that the construction activities shall commence within a period of five years from the date of the issue of clearance and the construction completed and the operations commenced within seven years from the date of issue of such clearance, it added.It further said that the period of validity may be extended for a maximum period of three years in case an application is made to the concerned authority by the applicant within the validity period, along with recommendation for extension of validity of the clearance by the concerned state / Union Territory Coastal Zone Management Authority.