The plan will be drafted by the State Environment department in consultation with agencies like Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMA), Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) and scientists. This was announced Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral.
Let us be practical about this announcement. The National Green Tribunal has set an August 31 deadline for submission of the CZMP. Now the question arises whether the Department of Environment is equipped to undertake such a masive exercise and prepare this plan within a month. If an expert agency like NCSCM has taken years, where does our Department of Environment stand? This is one Herculean task for the department to undertake. Besides, the issue of finalising the CZMP for the State has been pending for a few years due to various reasons and the deadline has been extended frequently.
The Chennai-based National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) had submitted the draft CZMP to the Goa government on May 9, 2017. Last year, representatives of the NCSCM had made constituency-wise presentations of the draft CZMP to MLAs and ministers, who had strongly raised objections to the draft plan. If the plan was submitted to government in 2017, was the government in deep slumber till now? Why were the MLAs and Ministers quiet?
The government has said it will also approach the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF&CC) to bring in an amendment to the CRZ notification 2011 specific for Goa. The government, if required, also intends to approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT) seeking more time for submission of CZMP, the deadline for which is August end. Yes, that could be done, but does the Environment Minister or the government understand that the NGT has put all environmental clearances in the State on hold until the CZMP is submitted? The principal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), New Delhi, has declined to relax its order restraining the granting of environment clearance till the State submits the CZMP to MoEF&CC. This means no project will get ECs until the CZMP is ready and submitted.
There are hundreds of projects in coastal areas which have been held up due to the CZMP, as such, this has also given rise to illegalities as some projects have already come up without proper permissions. Agreed to a contention that the uproar is uncalled for as the CZMP is in the draft stage and was never accepted by the government, but were the people sensitised about this? No, Cabral, who was booed by the people in Pernem and Canacona tried to convince people on same plan submitted by Chennai-based agency and made no mention of government’s intention for a new plan. The aggrieved people’s question of how can an outside agency, which is unaware about the ground reality and aspirations of the people be able to prepare a plan for Goa?
Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant said that some people ‘are opposing just for the purpose of opposition. There are specific people who are opposing and they are instigating the locals, who want to give their suggestions.’ If this is so, then it is the government’s job to convince the people on major policy decisions that may have far-reaching implications on the livelihood of the people. If some people are instigating the people, then the CM must name them and act against those people, as their instigation is merely delaying the process further.
