TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Of the 476 show causes notices that the Goa State Coastal Zone Management Authority issued to alleged violators over a three year period from 2010-2012, just 17 have resulted in demolition notices, latest data show.
Worse, the nodal agency under the Coastal Regulations Zone (CRZ) isn’t even sure whether the demolitions it has recommended have been carried out.
To a question by former chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Minister for Environment and Forest, Alina Saldanha said that the demolition notices were issued to 17 persons.
“The GCZMA has issued demolition order in 17 cases. However, GCZMA does not carry out any demolitions on its own. The orders of the GCZMA are to be complied with by the revenue authorities concerned,” Saldanha said.
And to a question whether the revenue authorities had compiled with the orders of the GCZMA, her reply was: “This information is not readily available in the GCZMA.”
However, what raises eyebrows of the environmentalists is the shockingly low ratio of show cause notices to actual demolition notices, for which no explanation has been offered.
In the same reply, Alina also said that the 27 projects, mainly beach hotels/resorts have received permissions from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, New Delhi.
The violations are mainly in coastal talukas of Pernem, Bardez, Salcete, Canacona with few being reported from the riverine talukas of Tiswadi, Ponda and Bicholim related to dockyards, jetties, etc.
Along the coastal areas, the complaints are mainly regarding constructions of hotels, restaurants, bars, rooms to let and even residential houses besides other minor constructions like boundary walls, land filling, excavation resulting in destruction of sand dunes, etc.
Activists including Congressmen have in the past raised the issue of post of the Member Secretary of the Goa State Coastal Zone Management Authority not been manned by a full-time person which was mandated through a ruling of the National Green Tribunal, which reiterated that the post be not given as additional charge.
Not too long ago, the government replaced former Member Secretary of the GCZMA Michael de Souza, replacing him with another efficient, but over burdened officer Levinson Martins who is also holding charge of the Member Secretary of the Goa State Pollution Control Board, besides being on several government committees.
