SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: Asserting that no approval being granted for any development in the coastal areas till the finalisation of Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), the State government has sought further six months time before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to complete and notify the plan, which is pending since 2016.
In an application filed before the NGT on September 23, Principal Bench, Director Environment Dashrath Redkar has said that Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) received total 3,493 suggestions and objections from North Goa and about 4,016 from South since the publication of public hearing notices issued in 2019, March 2021 and again in July, this year.
Redkar said that the GCZMA will require additional 60 days to complete the entire exercise of physical verification and ground truthing of all the objections and suggestions which will be forwarded to Chennai based National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) for finalisation and verification.
“Once the draft CZMP is received by the State from NCSCM, the same will be sent to Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) for approval and final notification which will require additional 60 days,” the applicant stated.
“In light of facts and circumstances as stated, the application is being filed seeking extension of six months to complete the process and finalise the CZMP of State of Goa and notify the same,” Redkar said.
He said that the delay in finalising the CZMP is neither deliberate nor willful.
The State government further informed the NGT that during this whole process, it is being ensured that no violations occur in the CRZ areas and necessary directions are issued from time to time.
Also, the government said, no approval is being granted for any development in the coastal areas till the CZMP is finalised.
The NGT had in June directed the State government to complete the process of finalising the CZMP by August 31.
