PANAJI
The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) has put on hold a proposal by offshore casino operator Goldenglobe Hotels Pvt Ltd to build a deck slab with a temporary roof near the Captain of Ports (CoP) Jetty in Panaji. The Authority has asked the company to carry out a fresh Environmental Impact Study (EIA) and obtain additional statutory clearances before the proposal can be considered.
The project aims to create an additional access pathway and a pile-supported steel deck with a tensile canopy beside the CoP Jetty on the banks of the River Mandovi. The proposal came before the GCZMA after a site inspection conducted last month.
After reviewing the proposal, the Authority found that the Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) submitted by the company, prepared by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) in March 2008, is outdated and no longer reflects the project in its current form.
The GCZMA directed the company to conduct a fresh Rapid EIA in line with the EIA Notification, 2006, and guidelines issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). The new study must include updated environmental baseline data, assess the likely impact of the project, and suggest suitable mitigation measures.
According to the site inspection report, the proposed structure consists of a pile-supported steel platform measuring about 29.02 metres long and 10.97 metres wide, covered by a tensile canopy. The site is located around 23.6 metres into the River Mandovi from the High Tide Line and falls entirely within CRZ-IVB (waterbody) under the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), 2011.
During the inspection, GCZMA officials noted that a jetty already exists at the proposed site near the CoP office. They also found that the adjoining land is recorded as government property, according to Form D records.
Apart from ordering a fresh environmental study, the Authority asked Goldenglobe Hotels to submit any previous No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued by the GCZMA for the existing platform, along with a structural stability certificate issued by an authorised registered engineer.
After detailed discussions, the GCZMA directed the company to respond to all observations made in the site inspection report before the proposal is taken up again, delaying a final decision on the project.
