PANJIM: The Goa government is likely to face the ire of National Green Tribunal (NGT) as it is all set to miss yet another deadline of January 31, granted by the Tribunal to complete the much-delayed Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) for the State. The State Environment Department is expected to seek further extension of two months till March 31, to finalize the plan, drafted by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM).
The NGT had in September 2020, in a final ultimatum to the State, had granted time till January 31, 2021 to complete the CZMP. However, the NCSCM is yet to submit the draft report, which needs to be placed before public for suggestion and comments, for a period of 30 days.
Sources informed that government will seek two months extension till March 31, to complete and finalize the CZMP to be submitted to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
The first CZMP of Goa was prepared in 1996 and was used as base plan for 2011 CZMP. The NCSCM has been working on the plan since 2016.
The Minister for Environment Nilesh Cabral said that NCSCM is in final stage of preparing the CZMP, which would be notified for public inputs, by mid-January. “The plan will be kept open for public suggestions and comments for a period of one month. Thereafter a virtual public hearing would be held,” he said.
“The CZMP, based on Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification 2011, will be finalised and notified in next two-three months,” Cabral said.
The Minister informed that post notification of 2011 plan, State will start process to draft CZMP based on 2019 CRZ notification.
Cabral said four sub-committees constituted for management of mangroves, fishing community, turtle nesting and khazans have submitted their report and the same would be submitted to NCSCM for incorporating in the draft CZMP.
NGT had, earlier in November, 2019; ‘in a last resort’ extension had granted Goa till January 31, 2020 to submit the draft CZMP to Chennai-based agency NCSCM.
NCSCM was thereafter directed to complete the exercise within three months and submit the final draft after a public hearing to MoEF&CC by April 30, 2020, while the Ministry was directed to issue the final notification on the plan by May 31.
However, in view of ‘lockdown’ and ‘curfew’ restrictions, imposed in wake of COVID-19 pandemic, NGT had extended the deadline till January 31, 2021.
The CZMP will cover shoreline management, conservation management, pollution management, tourism, resource and livelihood management. Currently, pending finalisation of CZMP, no approvals are being granted for any development in the coastal areas.
