Govt to seek extension of few months to finalise draft CZMP

Panaji: The environment department will soon file an affidavit before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) seeking extension of a few months for the preparation and finalisation of the state’s draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), as the deadline expires on August 31.

The department, which is the authority in charge of preparing and releasing the coastal maps, which were to be released in 2013 under the Coastal Regulation Zone notification of 2011, has sought extensions repeatedly since 2015 to prepare the new plans.

“We are drafting an application seeking time of a few more months to prepare the draft, as ground truthing exercise is underway to verify and rectify the inaccuracies in the draft maps prepared by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management,” an official said.

During the first public hearing held in March this year, the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) had received over 4,000 objections and suggestions to the draft CZMP and again during the July public hearing, as many as 3,500 suggestions were received highlighting discrepancies in the draft maps. Earlier, in 2019, coastal panchayats had submitted self-prepared plans to be incorporated into the draft.

The team of experts, constituted to conduct physical verification across the state, has been demanding more than a month’s time to complete the ground truthing exercise.

In the absence of the new plans, coastal clearances have come to a halt. Until the plan is renewed, the coastal regulatory body is unable to approve or reject clearances for any development up to 500 metres from the shore and falling under “coastal zone”.

In 2017, the NGT had put a stop on construction activity and regularisation in the coastal districts of states till the CZMP maps were finalised by the states.

“All decision making on coastal development has come to a standstill. We are unable to approve or reject clearances for any development up to 500 metres from the shore. We are still implementing a 2011 Notification based on 1996 CZMP, even as the ground reality has changed and major changes have occurred in the coastal areas,” an official said.

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