CCP’s CZMP consultation process turns out to be farcical affair

PANJIM: Amidst chaos and confusion, the Corporation of the City of Panaji (CCP) on Friday conducted the public consultation on the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) for the city, wherein the citizens, fishing community and experts raised several objections to the plan, which has omitted some of the crucial features like sand dunes, St Inez creek, fishing zones from the plan. The fishermen have also objected to the declaration of Blue Flag Certification to Miramar beach. 

The draft plan prepared by the Chennai-based National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) was kept open for public suggestions and objections by the Corporation in its office on Friday from 10 am onwards. However, the members of the public, who had gathered in large, were furious to find no expert from Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMA), the nodal agency for CZMP implementation, so also from CCP present for the consultation till 11 am. 

It was only after a hue and cry from the public and media that CCP Commissioner Sanjit Rodrigues chaired the consultation process at around 11 am, albeit in a very haphazard manner.  The suggestions and objections raised by the public are to be placed before the CCP council for approval and the same will then be forwarded to CZMP for incorporation. 

Speaking to the media, Goa Green Brigade Coordinator Avertino Miranda slammed CCP for making mockery of the consultation process, while demanding that fresh hearing be kept.  

During the consultation process, experts objected to the non inclusion of the Portuguese era St Inez creek, which, even today, is the talk of the town for its contamination. The creek, which is part of the Panjim Outline Development Plan (ODP), is omitted in the CZMP.

Further, the plan has been criticized for inadequate sand dune mapping, despite dunes being nature’s first line of defense. Conservation of natural ecosystems and restoration of degraded landscape, which should be the main focus of CZMP, is sadly missing in the draft plan.

Former scientist of National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) Dr Antonio Mascarenhas, who has undertaken a detailed study of the draft CZMP of the entire State, stated that despite Tiswadi being blessed with several unique natural ecosystems, the agency has failed to map them as per its existence.

“The Caranzalem – Miramar stretch consists of a linear low to medium sand dune belt with luxuriant vegetation, which makes it an ecologically sensitive ecosystem, hence classified as CRZ I. The Mandovi estuary is the only saline water body of the Indian coasts to have an enclosed Miramar dune field, a city beach,” Mascarenhas said.

“Shockingly, the mapping of sand dunes of Goa, done by a Chennai agency leaves much to be desired. The vegetated dune belts are inadequately marked and mapped, except for a tiny patch where dunes are mapped,” he said.

Mascarenhas, a former expert member of the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) demanded that sand dune mapping be revised as what is done is gross misrepresentation, and needs to be rejected.

The fishing community from Caranzalem, who had gathered in large, expressed complete displeasure over non indication of fishing zones and other activities related to fishing. 

Caranzalem Ramponnkarancho Ekvott led by its president Linda Pereira suggested that plan should map location or parking areas for fishing canoes, net lending sheds, raponn pulling zone within High Tide Line and access for fish transportation. 

Menino D’souza local fishermen from Caranzalem said that while preparing the CZMP, the fishermen had submitted their suggestions along with their own draft plan, however, the same is not included in the CZMP. “We were shocked to see that none of our suggestions were part of it. More so, the fishing business itself has been not marked,” he lamented. 

Goenchea Ramponnkarancho Ekvott (GRE) general secretary, Olencio Simoes, who was also present, suggested that up to 2 nautical miles Caranzalem- Miramar beach should be marked as fish breeding zone.  

He also pointed out that despite there being a one-man commission report on the Miramar beach sand dune, which indicates the entire stretch of the beach as sand dune zone, there is no such indication in the CZMP. 

Simoes demanded that government immediately withdraws having Blue Flag Certification for Miramar beach, as the State already has the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) to protect the coastal environment. “When we are unable to implement CRZ norms in toto to protect coastal environment, where is the question of Blue Flag certification,” he said.