Team Herald
MARGAO: The Colva Civic and Consumer Forum (CCCF) has lodged an objection with the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) against the Goa Tourism Development Corporation’s (GTDC) proposed redevelopment at Colva Beach, arguing that it violates environmental laws and threatens the fragile coastal ecosystem.
CCCF president Judith Almeida filed the complaint, citing discussions from the 427th GCZMA meeting on January 28, 2025. She pointed out that GTDC’s Special Purpose Vehicle had sought permission to "reconstruct" shops within CRZ-IA, CRZ-IB, and CRZ-III zones, despite restrictions on construction in these ecologically sensitive areas. Almeida asserted that reconstruction is permissible only if structures predate 1991, a condition the government’s plan fails to meet.
The forum also referred to a 2022 GCZMA order directing the demolition of unauthorized structures on survey numbers 37/5, 37/6, 23/7, 23/10, 23/11, and 37/11, stating that these had been rebuilt under the tourism department’s watch. Almeida contended that the rebuilt structures are stalls rather than shops, contradicting GTDC’s claims.
Raising environmental concerns, CCCF pointed to a 2023 parliamentary report, which identified Colva Beach as Goa’s most erosion-prone area, losing 22,563.7 square meters of sand. Almeida cited a study presented in Parliament by Union Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Kumar Choubey, which called for stringent shoreline management. She questioned why the tourism department was pursuing projects that could accelerate coastal degradation, given that shifting sand dunes act as a natural buffer against cyclones and disasters.
The forum further highlighted the contradiction between the government’s anti-erosion measures at Colva Beach and its push for redevelopment, arguing that the project serves private interests rather than the public good.
Almeida stressed that government agencies are not exempt from CRZ laws, and construction in no-development zones must prioritize community welfare over private gain.
CCCF also reminded GCZMA that the tourism department had previously withdrawn a similar project, the Tourism Infrastructure Development of Colva Coastal Circuit, following public opposition.
Almeida argued that renaming the project does not exempt it from CRZ restrictions. She also pointed to past environmental violations at GTDC projects in Colva, including a toilet block discharging waste into the creek and sea.