The problem of increasing unauthorized human encroachments on Goa’s coastline, is plaguing the state for a long time. The continuing growth of concrete jungles along Goa’s beaches and river-banks, in gross violation of the Environment Protection Act of 1986 and other relevant laws, including the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notifications of 1991 and 2011, has created a serious destruction in the coastal ecosystem of the State.
The CRZ notifications specified certain restrictions regarding construction of structures along the coastline. However, in Goa, land developers, the tourism lobby and other commercial establishments have been violating the CRZ norms with impunity because the state has failed to implement the coastal environment protection laws seriously, in the last more than 25 years.
Flagrant violation of the CRZ notification guidelines is the order of the day in almost all the coastal areas of Goa, as constructions both big and small, continue to mushroom unabated in the last few decades. This unlawful construction activity along the State’s coastline, especially by starred hotel establishments and real estate developers, has been going on unhindered with open connivance of local civic authorities, particularly the village panchayats, which are hotbeds of corruption and skullduggery.
Residents of Goa have been persistently demanding stringent action against the violators of the CRZ notifications. In many instances, people even wanted the authorities to disconnect water and electricity supply, in the first phase, to those hotels and other commercial establishments that have sprung up on the state’s coastline in violation of the CRZ norms. Simultaneously, local people have been demanding that promoters of illegal structures under construction be warned to adhere to various regulations, failing which they should be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law.
The nonchalant attitude of the civic bodies and other authorities concerned in taking action against the mushrooming of illegal structures along the state’s coastline is disgusting, to say the least, particularly in view of the fact that the government has been hesitant to regularize extended residential houses and work sheds belonging to growing families of traditional fishing community – falling within the 200 metres of high tide line (HTL), even though many of the structures were existing before the CRZ notification of 1991 came into force, but unfortunately owners of such structures are unable to produce material evidence to prove their case.
Curiously, even while Goan coastal communities are being harnessed with threats of demolition of their residential houses and work sheds, civic bodies and other authorities concerned are conveniently avoiding taking action against tourism-related commercial establishments habitually involved in violation of CRZ norms, despite written complaints by alert citizens. In several such cases, even complaints filed before the Directorate of Panchayats (DoP) are not looked into, thereby clearly giving one the impression that all the talk dished out by the government time and again, regarding strict maintenance of ecological balance of the coastal areas, appears to be just a public eyewash in order to camouflage the deteriorating quality of governance in the state.
Indeed, the once pristine beaches dotting Goa’s coastline have been converted into concrete jungles by hoteliers and other commercial establishments, in connivance with politicians and bureaucrats. In this context, mention may be made of the sporadic protests launched by the local people concerned over concretization of beaches and the consequent degradation of coastal environment, which apparently fell on deaf ears due to indifferent attitude in the issue by both the panchayat as well as state-level politicians.
In fact, in the three-and-a-half years till December 2015 alone, 880 cases of coastal regulation zone violations have been reported in various parts of the State’s coastal areas. Official statistics revealed that since April 2012 till December 2013, there were 480 cases of CRZ violations reported, while until December 2015 another 400 cases were added to the list. The violations include illegal constructions of commercial projects like hotels, bars and restaurants, besides illegal construction of retaining walls by destroying sand dunes, beach vegetations, mangroves, etc. The status of the previous record of 8000-odd violations, are also shrouded in ambiguity and inaction.
Environmental groups in Goa have accused the government of encouraging CRZ violators, including some politically influential individuals and business establishments, in the name of promoting tourism. Stating that tourism can thrive and grow only when it is environment-friendly, they further pointed out that the world over, sea fronts are the biggest assets of coastal regions, and as such, these are developed with lot of care and become major tourist destinations. The local environmentalists are of the view that the government was responsible for the decreasing number of tourists coming to Goa, of late.
Goa, therefore, is in an urgent need of stringent implementation of coastal regulations considering that hoteliers and land developers are not only reclaiming land to construct buildings, but are also causing grave destruction of sand dunes, besides wiping out mangroves and other coastal vegetation to make way for concrete structures in utter disregard to the Environment Protection Act of 1986 and other relevant laws and regulations of the land. Apart from the illegal structures sprouting up within the prohibited 200 metres of the high tide line (HTL), rampant destruction of sand dunes due to unlawful extraction of sand by construction lobby has been ruining the ecological balance of the State’s coastline.
(The writer is a freelance journalist)
