The ministry of agriculture is planning to push through a bill in the current Parliament session which, if passed, will thwart last year's Supreme Court (SC) decision to ban coastal aquaculture farms with effect from March 31, on grounds of soil degradation, marine pollution and hampering traditional fishing. The bill also prescribes setting up an aquaculture authority which will review the existing shrimp and prawn farms and will provide necessary guidelines for their construction and maintenance.

The SC judgment, delivered on December 11, 1996, had stated that all aquaculture farms, shrimp industries, and shrimp culture ponds operating or set up in the coastal regulation zone (CRZ), as defined under the CRZ notification of 1991, shall be demolished and removed before March 31, 1997.