MARGAO
The United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) has cautioned that the CRZ notification 2018 could be misused as on its undercover there appears to be a clever, hidden ploy to sell whatever is left of Goa to the so-called unscrupulous migrant sharks from Delhi ostensibly for tourism development and other commercial activities.
UGDP President Dr Jorson Fernandes has further said that with MPT having a purportedly new role which points to the acquisition of coastal areas being used by traditional ramponkars, the future for the true sons of the soil appears to be bleak.
“The proposed CRZ notification 2018 whilst favouring vested interests with the opening of Goa’s pristine 105-km coast for more commercial activities under the garb of tourism, puts at risk the ecology and the most ecologically sensitive areas like mangroves and dunes with dire consequences for Goan traditional fishing communities whose very existence for livelihood could be in jeopardy,” asserted Dr Jorson.
He pointed out that the Union Cabinet quietly approved the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification, 2018 as the year 2018 was drawing to a close.
“The last review issued in 2011 was off-limits for tourism activities and infrastructure developments except for defence, strategic and rare public utility projects."
"The latest notification under CRZ-1, allows eco-tourism activities such as mangrove walks, tree huts, nature trails, etc in eco-sensitive areas, demarcated as CRZ-IA. Sea links, salt harvesting and desalination plants and roads on stilts are also allowed in CRZ-IA. The controversial land reclamation, in which new land is created from oceans or lake beds and is known to have a strong impact on coastal ecology, has been allowed in intertidal or CRZ-IB areas, for ports and sea links. In CRZ-II, a substantially built-up area, project developers can now increase the floor area ratio or floor space index, and build resorts and other tourism facilities. This is a clear indication that it is an invitation for the hotel lobby and the super-rich migrants especially from Delhi to make further inroads into Goa’s beaches and deprive Goans of the vast open beach spaces which they enjoyed through ages,” argued Dr Jorson.
Under earlier notifications, he said "Hotels and beach resorts were also allowed in CRZ-III, or relatively undisturbed areas that do not fall under CRZ-I or II. But their construction was prohibited in no-development zone (NDZ) of CRZ-III, which extends landwards up to 200 m from HTL, he said, adding that the latest notification drastically shrinks NDZ to 50 m from HDL in densely populated areas (where the population exceeds 2,161 per sq km as per the 2011 Census). This technically allows resorts, hotels and tourism facilities to be built right up to HTL”.
