Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa Foundation (GF) has decided to challenge the recent amendment to the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification 2011 that allowed demarcation of the High Tide Line (HTL) in inundated khazan lands thereby restricting the same to the bund/sluice gate but keeping the mangrove areas as CRZ-IA.
Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEf&CC) has amended the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification 2011 to allow the High Tide Line (HTL) in Goa to be demarcated along the bunds (embankments) along rivers and creeks.
Speaking to Herald, GF director Claude Alvares said the notification is ‘unlawful’ and not ‘satisfactory’, as it has failed to grant any protection to khazan lands and that mangroves in these lands should not have been protected, considering that their existence itself is illegal.
“The amendment has been undertaken to facilitate drafting of Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) for Goa and to impose CRZ notification 2019, which itself has failed to give any protection to khazan land,” Alvares explained.
Alvares said that the CRZ notification, 2019 makes no mention of Goa’s centuries-old khazans linked with bunds, that extend over 2,000kms. “So, where is the protection to khazan land? They are engineering marvels, ecological marvels,” he said adding, “Even the mangroves in khazan land, which are classified as CRZ-IA should not have granted protection since these mangroves have come up due to mismanagement of khazan lands.”
Alvares said the amendment would be challenged before the judiciary for necessary directions and corrections. “If the amendment is adopted and CZMP is drafted based on it, then the ecological protection will be at risk,” he stated.
Around 4,000 Ha of khazan land, of the total 18,000 ha, are estimated to have been lost over the last 30 years after they were inundated.
Reacting to the amendment, Goencho Avaaz convenor Viriato Fernandes said that HTL marking as per CRZ 2011 gave protection against construction in the vicinity of khazans. “By restricting the HTL only up to the bund and sluice gate, the real estate lobby can undertake construction almost touching the khazans, whereas the earlier marking HTL ensured a 200-meter restriction from khazans,” he said.
Fernandes said that the claim by some politicians, including the Environment Minister, that the earlier notification of HTL was harmful to locals is false as Section 6D of the CRZ Notification 2011 clearly lays down protection for houses of locals and traditional community.
The Goa government had been lobbying for the changes before the Central government. State Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral, through a series of communications to MoEF&CC had proposed amendments to the CRZ notification 2011 to allow the State to exclude the HTL in khazan land, so as to facilitate to draw a ‘practical’ CZMP. Village panchayats and concerned citizens had raised strong objections over the erroneous demarcation of HTL.
KHAZAN CONUNDRUM
ISSUE
- MoEF&CC amended CRZ notification 2011 to allow HTL demarcation along bunds in rivers and creeks
- State had lobbied for changes, proposed amendments to exclude HTL in khazan land, to facilitate ‘practical’ CZMP
OBJECTIONS
- Goa Foundation says notification has failed to protect khazan lands and mangroves here should not be protected, considering they are illegal
- If amendment is adopted and CZMP is drafted based on it, then ecological protection will be at risk
- Goencho Avaaz says HTL marking as per CRZ 2011 gave protection against construction in vicinity of khazans
- By restricting HTL up to bund and sluice gate, real estate lobby can undertake construction almost touching khazans