PANAJI
In a major setback to the Goa government, the Centre has refused to accept State’s plea to approve the revised Goa Coastal Zone Management Plan (GCZMA) 2011 as per the Bhunaksha (Cadastral) plans of Goa.
The Technical Scrutiny Committee of the Union Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) on CZMP has recommended the revised draft CZMP maps on 1:25,000 scale only, as per the direction of MoEF&CC for further approval. The Committee declined to approve the Cadastral plan based on modified CZMP, which according to the State was crucial to draft the new CZMP based on CRZ notification 2019.
“The Committee recommended the revised draft CZMP maps on 1:25,000 scale only, as per the direction of MoEF&CC and as decided in the meeting held on 23/02/2024, for submission by GCZMA to MoEF&CC and for further approval by NCZMA (National Coastal Zone Management Plan) /MoEF&CC,” reads the minutes of the meeting held on February 28.
The recommendation was based on the facts highlighted by the Chennai based agency National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), who drafted the plan for the State and was notified by the Centre in September 2022.
During the meeting, outgoing Director for Environment Johnson Fernandes informed the Committee that the CZMP of Goa prepared as per CRZ Notification, 2011 was approved by MoEF&CC in the month of September, 2022; however on overlaying the 1:25,000 scale CZMP maps on the new Bhunaksha (Cadastral) plans notified by the State, subsequently, some slight differences were found and the NCSCM was requested to have a relook on the plans.
“NCSCM thereafter, shared the entire plans overlaid with the Bhunaksha (Cadastral) plans of Goa and that these were found to be reasonable and in accordance with the plans being used by the State of Goa. The Technical Scrutiny Committee was requested to approve the revised plans overlaid with the Bhunaksha (Cadastral) plans of Goa, so that the revised plans could be re-notified at the earliest, which, according to him, will pave the way for preparation of CZMP-2019 of Goa,” the minutes stated.
During the meeting, Director, NCSCM, Dr Manik Mahapatra stated that after the CZMP-2011 of Goa were approved by MoEF&CC, in September, 2022, GCZMA raised certain issues and the matter was brought before the MoEF&CC and MoEF&CC convened a meeting between NCSCM, GCZMA and MoEF&CC officials on February 23, 2024.
Mahapatra stated that as per the minutes of the meeting, NCSCM was directed to prepare the revised draft CZMP on 1:25,000 scale, incorporating the updated Bund/Sluice Gate and other data provided by GCZMA to NCSCM, after the approval of CZMP-2011 of Goa by MoEF&CC in September, 2022.
Mahapatra also stated that while preparing the CZMP maps on 1:25,000 scale, there is no Cadastral data involved, thus, the Bhunaksha plans also do not come into the picture at all, for preparing the CZMP maps on 1:25,000 scale.
He stated that based on the meeting, NCSCM modified the HTL as per the modified bund data provided by GCZMA, prepared the revised draft CZMP on 1:25,000 scale and submitted the same to GCZMA.
“As per the minutes of the meeting held on 23/02/2024, the draft CZMP maps on 1:25,000 scale were to be presented by the GCZMA in the CZMP Technical Scrutiny Committee Meeting and subsequently in the NCZMA for approval by MoEF&CC.
Mahapatra stated that the CZMP maps of Goa on the 1:25,000 scale are without any Cadastral data or Bhunaksha plans. He requested the Committee that the revised CZMP maps of Goa on 1:25,000 scale, prepared by NCSCM, may be recommended for approval by NCZMA/MoEF&CC.
The State then requested the committee to approve whatever plans NCSCM submitted to GCZMA in August, 2024.
