PANAJI
Repeat mistakes rather than learn from them seems to be the motto of governments.
Crucial watchdog against irregularities and violations of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) laws along Goa's vast coast -- the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) -- has overrun its term and is technically without any powers.
The current GCZMA, which is headed by Environment Secretary Arun Kumar Mishra, IAS, ended its term on October 31 last and more than three weeks later there is no sign of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF) appointing the fresh body.
Technically, the GCZMA charged with the responsibility to regulate all construction and commercial activity in CRZ areas in the State, is virtually non-existent at the moment.
The issue briefly came up in a proceeding before the National Green Tribunal's (NGT) Pune bench last week where the bench noted that the GCZMA is at present without a mandate.
The NGT bench in an order passed by it last week in a matter related to alleged CRZ violations by three separate entities in Goa has urged the MoEF&CC to take necessary steps and make some "interim arrangement" at the earliest and preferably within a month.
A similar situation where the GCZMA had overrun its term and left without a legal mandate to function had also emerged back in 2016.
Then too, the MoEF&CC instead of reconstituting the crucial body had permitted the Department of Environment of the State government to make temporary interim arrangements
The State government had then retained the Environment Secretary to act as chairperson with the Director of Environment as member secretary. A notification issued then had also given the Secretary powers to co-opt expert members as per the need for its functioning.
The NGT in its order of November 18 has also asked its registry to write to the MoEF&CC conveying its direction to make the interim arrangement preferably within a month and also asked that the 2016 notification be also attached to the communication.
