Team Herald
PANJIM: In lines with Goa and Maharashtra, the Central government has allowed beach as well as private shack operators, across all coastal States, to retain their temporary season structures even during off-tourism season, provided they are not under operation from June to August.
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The Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has issued a draft notification amending the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) 2011, to expand the provision dated May 3, 2017 to all the States.
In May 2017, following request from the Goa government, the Ministry had granted permission to retain the temporary seasonal structures – shacks and huts – even during the off season, provided they are not in operation. As such, the structures will continue to remain standing along the beach side even during the monsoon. The decision had benefited over 2,500 shack operators since then.
The Ministry said that it had received several representations from the State government for extending the provision of temporary beach shacks as already available in CRZ Notification 2011 and its amendment dated May 3, 2017 and expanding the said provision to all coastal States.
“Purely temporary and seasonal structures (shacks) customarily put up and may be retained during the monsoon season with adequate precautions,” the Ministry said in a draft notification issued.
“In respect of State of Goa and Maharashtra, such structures (shacks), customarily put up between the months of September and May, may be retained during the month of June to August. Provided that the facilities, available in these structures, shall remain non-operational during the month of June to August,” Ministry added further.
In yet another amendment, the Ministry has permitted traditional coastal communities to remove sand bars in the intertidal areas by manual method (i.e. sand collection in non-mechanised dinghies or small boats using baskets/buckets by human beings) in various coastal States.
The Ministry has said that State government may permit such removal of sand in specified time period in a particular area along with specific quantity subject to conditions such as registration of local community persons permitted to remove the sand manually and shall be renewed on yearly basis.
