MARGAO: The Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) for Goa 2011 was approved and recommended by the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) despite substantive objections raised by its own expert members, a fact the State Government has now officially acknowledged on the floor of the Goa Legislative Assembly.
Replying to a starred LAQ tabled by MLA Aleixo Reginaldo Lourenco, the CM who also holds the Environment portfolio, confirmed that the then expert members had expressed reservations to the approval of the CZMP which form part of the minutes of the GCZMA.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
The dissent note reveals four grounds of objection. First, a critical procedural inversion: the Technical Scrutiny Committee (TSC) of NCSCM examined and scrutinised the CZMP before the GCZMA had even considered or recommended it, a sequence directly contrary to the CRZ Notification 2011, which mandates that GCZMA recommendation must precede TSC scrutiny. Second, the report submitted by GCZMA’s own expert committee identifying additional dunes covering approximately 46 lakh square metres, was never placed before the TSC. Third, port limits continued to be depicted on the revised CZMP maps despite the GCZMA having unequivocally resolved their removal, with participants at the South Goa public hearing even being prevented from raising the issue. Fourth, major policy departures, including curtailing sand dune protection to the 500-metre line, were incorporated into revised maps after the public consultation stage, without any fresh round of public hearing.
The CM, however, denied that the CZMP was pushed through solely on the strength of ex-officio government representatives within the GCZMA, though the reply offered no explanation of how the requisite majority was constituted given that all expert members had withheld their consent.
It may be recalled that the CZMP for Goa 2011 was approved by the MoEF&CC and notified in September 2022.
DISSENT OVERRULED
- 1. The NCSCM’s Technical Scrutiny Committee (TSC) examined the CZMP before the GCZMA recommended it, violating the CRZ Notification 2011 mandate
- 2. A GCZMA expert committee report identifying 46 lakh sqms of additional sand dunes was withheld from the TSC
- 3. Port limits remain on the maps despite a GCZMA resolution to remove them; additionally, South Goa public hearing participants were reportedly barred from discussing this
- 4. New policies, such as limiting sand dune protection to the 500-metre line, were added after public consultations without holding fresh hearings
