This is precisely why Goa has dropped down on the ease of doing business rankings. Whether it is a yes or a no to the project, there should not be any holdup to the decision process, but all approvals have to be based on the existing laws in force and taking into consideration the positive and negative consequences that it could have on the people and the environment. This is the reason why, when it comes to certain projects a delay is what will possibly provide the best outcome.
The Nauxim marina project is one such project that has been kept on hold temporarily because the Coastal Zone Management Plan has not yet been approved. The marina project has not been scrapped and those opposing the project – the local villagers and environment activists – cannot take this as a victory. There is still a long way to go for that. What the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF&CC) has done is declined to consider the project for an Environmental Clearance as the State’s Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) has not yet been approved. The project proponents have been asked to submit the proposal again after the CZMP has been finalised and approved by the Ministry. A decision will be taken based on what the coastal plan maps out for the State.
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The decision to ask the marina project proponents to apply again, once the Coastal Zone Management Plan is approved, is the correct one, as all projects in coastal areas with private investment are on hold till the CZMP is approved by the Union Ministry. Goa’s delay in submitting the plan has therefore kept a large number of projects on hold and it is not just the marina project. There are other tourism related projects that are also awaiting the finalisation of the CZMP.
There are two issues interlinked here – the Coastal Zone Management Plan and the Nauxim marina project. The possibility of the latter getting approval depends on the former getting cleared first, and then too, the consent for the marina will depend on the coastal plan’s proposed usage of the area.
The marina project got the approval of the Investment Promotion Board in 2015 but it has been held up due to opposition from the villagers who have pointed out that the project will harm the ecology, the marine life and destroy traditional fishing activity in the area where it is proposed to be set up. They demanded that until the coastal plan is finalised, the government cannot go ahead with it. Following pressure from the villagers, the government was forced to drop the marina project and accordingly it had even informed the High Court of Bombay at Goa of this in February 2021.
The other issue of Goa’s coastal plan is a saga by itself. The plan has been submitted for approval, but this approval is awaited due to some clarifications sought. Prior to that the plan was scrapped for the inconsistencies that had surfaced in the mapping and in June 2019, then ministers in the government had sought that the plan be redrafted. Now, close to three years later, with inputs from the villages and public hearings later, the plan is yet to be finalised and approved by the Centre. It is precisely because clearances for all coastal projects will depend on the plan that the CZMP once approved cannot have any errors. If it does contain any inconsistencies, the people will not accept it. For that reason, the government has to ensure that it is error-free.
