THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa government has approached the Centre seeking permission to allow the conduct of a digital environment public hearing on the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) for the State. The move comes after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) upheld the Maharashtra government’s decision to go for a virtual public hearing.
The State has already missed the ‘last resort’ deadline set by NGT to complete the long-pending plan by May 31, as the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) is still working on draft plan following which a public hearing will be held.
Speaking to media persons on Tuesday, Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral said he has written to the Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to allow the conduct of virtual public hearing on CZMP in the State’s interest.
“The plan has been pending for long. We have to finalise the plan after public consultation for which environment public hearing is must. We don’t know by when the current COVID situation will normalise and hence it is important that we go for an online hearing,” he said.
Cabral said a letter has been forwarded to MoEF&CC on Monday. “In the past also, I had made the request but the same was rejected. Now based on NGT order with regards to Maharashtra State, we have made fresh appeal to Centre,” he said.
The Minister said that the Water Resources Department and the Biodiversity Management Committee have completed the process to demarcate the high tide line (HTL) along the bunds (embankments) along rivers and creeks.
This was initiated following an amendment to the Coastal Regulation Notification (CRZ) 2011 by Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). Prior to this, the HTL was demarcated depending on how far landward saline water travelled during the high tide. “The CZMP work is in process,” he said.
