Team Herald
PANJIM: Over two months after the National Coastal Zone Management Authority (NCZMA) sought clarification on the depiction of structures in the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) 2011, the State Environment Department is yet to reply to queries raised by the Central body.
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The State authority had in May provided shapefiles of archaeological and heritage sites and fishing, port and river navigation infrastructure to the NCZMA for their marking on the coastal plan. However, the final data is yet to be submitted.
Sources said that during the presentation in April, the GCZMA had told the NCZMA officials that it wants only sites of archaeological and heritage importance, fishing infrastructure and structures of the Captain of Ports and the River Navigation Department to be depicted on the CZMP 2011 and all other structures should be removed.
“The NCZMA agreed to it and accordingly, directed us to submit final data marking structures of archaeological and heritage importance, fishing infrastructure, lighthouse, and other authorised structures. We are in process,” a senior official said.
The State authority had highlighted that the Department of Survey and Land Records had promulgated revenue maps with existing structures in 1974 which have been utilised for the preparation of the draft plan and many structures were constructed between 1974 and 1991 and are not reflected in the revenue maps.
Along with the removal of structures, the Central coastal body had agreed in principle to the State’s demand for non-depiction of port limits in the final CZMP 2011 and for notification of CZMP on 1:4,000 scales.
The State government had in January, this year, submitted the draft CZMP 2011 to NCZMP for approval. The Chennai-based National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), a Central agency was engaged in preparing the CZMP.
Meanwhile, the NCSCM is one among the two Central empanelled agencies that have shown interest to draft CZMP based on the 2019 CRZ notification. The NGT in its order dated April 11, had directed all the coastal States including Goa to complete and finalise CZMP 2019 within two months.
