the goan I network
MAPUSA
Maintaining that his ministry would strictly go by the CRZ 2011 notification while forming the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral on Thursday told the Goa Legislative Assembly that the CZMP would not show any houses as some NGOs sought to falsely propagate.
He also said if the people of Goa desire, the government was ready go through the exercise of creating a cadastral plan with houses of 1991.
“The CRZ will follow the 2011 notification while formulating the CZMP. As per the notification, we are supposed to mark the three lines “ HTL, LTL and Hazardous line.”
Cabral said some people and NGOs were spreading wrong information that there was no cadastral plan with houses of 1991 in the CZMP.
Congress MLA Alexio Reginald Lourenco said CZMA was an autonomous body and should be allowed to conduct the processes, instead of the minister attending the meetings.
“Why is the minister taking the responsibility of attending the meetings? Our role as legislators is to do whatever people want. If they want a cadastral plan then let’s show their structures and finish it,” Lourenco said.
The Curtorim MLA further said that NGOs were asking questions only because there was an element of trust deficit.
The environment minister said he understood that there were apprehensions among people as the 1991 plan was not done by those in power then.
He said the government was ready to create the 1991 plan to include the houses as per the wishes of the people, but that should not to be confused with the present CZMP.
“We will do the 1991 plan by using all means as there was no google then. And then too, we will go to the people for consultations. But that will be done separately. It will take another year or two,” he said.
Responding to Santa Cruz MLA Antonio Fernandes’ query whether there was scope to include Goan experts in the CZMP empanelment, the environment minister said the present consultations were being held by the environment department with Goan officers.
“We are supposed to mark the sand dunes, mangroves, khazan land, salt pans and archaeological sites of importance. We are not going to show houses in this plan. That is not the role of 2011 notification of the CRZ,” Cabral said.
The environment minister was responding to Congress MLA Aleixo Reginald Lourenco on the minister’s role in forming the CZMP.
Giving a glimpse of his government’s seriousness on the issue, Cabral informed the House that his department has already sought permission from the Collector North and South to fly drones along the coastal belt .
“The drones will identify exact location of sand dunes and mangroves along the entire coastline and other places. We will make clear images,” he said.
