Team Herald
PANJIM: With over 600 cases of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) violations pending for the last five years, the State Government has constituted District Level Coastal Monitoring Committees’ in North and South Goa to dispose the cases, thereby reducing the burden on Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), which will now deal with only major violation cases.
The committees, which will be chaired by the District Collectors, will also provide a helping hand to GCZMA in monitoring the compliance of conditions stipulated by the authority while granting various permissions under CRZ notification 2011.
As such, the committees will monitor the functioning of the temporary seasonal structures permitted along the coastal belt.
GCZMA, in its meeting held in September 2015, had resolved to constitute district-level committees for the speedy disposal of pending CRZ cases and for initiating action under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
“There are so many cases pending before GCZMA. Under CRZ there is a provision that if the authority cannot handle it, we can form district level committees to take care of minor cases,” Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told media persons.
Parrikar, who also holds the Environment portfolio, said the committees will handle the small-minor cases so that the load on GCZMA will be reduced to only serious cases.
The committees have to inquire into the cases of alleged violations of CRZ norms and issue necessary directions or initiate action under the Environment Protection Act. GCZMA will refer the cases to the authority for necessary action in time bound manner. “The committees will also require monitoring and to verify the compliance of the conditions stipulated in the permissions issued by GCZMA for conducting any type of events and also temporary season structures permitted by them,” the order stated.
The committee has also granted powers to take suo-motu cognisance of any illegal violations, including newspaper reports. Issuing show cause notices, stop work order, directions to mamlatdars or government authorities, are also powers vested with the committee.
All the actions of the committee would be through the respective mamlatdars. The committees will have to submit their report once in six months to GCZMA.
In order to maintain transparency, the committees are directed to have a dedicated website whereby the public would be informed about the functioning.
The members of the North District committee include, the deputy collector, representatives of Land Survey Department, PWD executive engineer, senior town planner North, Deputy Conservator of Forests North and Deputy Collector Revenue as member secretary. There are three private members – Ivo Nunes and Ronney Fernandes, representing the fishing community and Tulshidas Kavlekar representing the coastal community.
The south Goa committee consists of deputy collector, representatives of Land Survey Department, PWD executive engineer, senior town planner South, Deputy Conservator of Forests South and Deputy Collector revenue as member secretary. The fishing community is represented by Suraj Pagi and Antonio Monteiro while Amindin Mullal will represent the coastal community.
