Team Herald
PANJIM: With the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) yet to submit its final report on the beach carrying capacity – a vital document for allocating temporary seasonal structures along the coast – the newly-formed Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) faces a major challenge in granting approval to the Beach Shack Policy 2016-2019 when it meets for the first time on November 3.
The NCSCM – an agency affiliated to Union Ministry for Environment and Forest (MoEF) – was entrusted with the study of the beach carrying capacity following directions from the National Green Tribunal. The time period granted to the agency ended on September 30.
“The agency submitted its interim report in August. The final report is yet to be submitted,” a senior official confirmed adding that the meeting scheduled on Thursday, will have to take a call on whether to decide on the Shack Policy in the absence of the beach carrying capacity report.
The report attains importance, as NCSCM in its interim report has recommended a buffer zone of 8 metres between the shacks as ideal on the safety front. It has also identified 39.26 sq kms of ecologically sensitive areas (ESA) to be marked as ‘No Go’. The final report will focus on the number of shacks permitted on each beach to ensure there is no damage to the local system.
NGT, in December 2014, had directed GCZMA to assess the carrying capacity of different beaches, for granting permissions to shacks in an environmentally sustainable manner to protect the coastal environment.
Shack operators are up-in-arms against the delay in finalizing the shack policy and allotment of shacks. The operators have already lost a month of the tourism season, which commenced on October 2.
Tourism Department has invited applications for shack allotment and 34 beach belts have been identified for allocation of shacks, which will be done through lottery system.
