PANJIM: Racing against time to meet the August 31 deadline, various State government departments have initiated ground truthing exercises to verify the objections or suggestions made by villagers and other stakeholders to the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP).
Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), which received over 6000 representations, has forwarded the objections and suggestions to the departments. GCZMA expert members will be also looking into the views received on the draft plan.
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A senior official said that the objections and suggestions for the CZMP pertaining to Khazan lands, bunds and sluice gates have been referred to WRD and the ones related to fishing wards and fishing zones have been forwarded to the Fisheries Department for inquiry.
“The concerned departments have already started the process of ground truthing, wherever required and scrutiny. They will submit the report with recommendation to GCZMA,” the official said adding, “We have to complete the entire process by August 31, as per the deadline set by the National Green Tribunal (NGT).”
Based on the recommendation, the official said that the Chennai based National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) will be directed to make necessary changes in the final plan.
Officials reiterated that GCZMA has already decided and has recommended to NCSCM to remove the port limits from the final CZMP map. It has also stated that no structures will be depicted on the final CZMP map and that as such all structures which are shown on the map will be removed
GCZMA has also clarified that mangroves that come in the khazan lands will not have any buffer areas.
