PANAJI
The National Green Tribunal which on Thursday had rejected the Goa government’s plea for a six-month extension to complete the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), has indicated that if the plan is not completed by December 31, the concerned secretary will not be entitled to a salary from January onwards.
“We note that there is breach of mandate of finalising CZMP as per CRZ Regulations, 2011 for the last ten years, causing failure to regulate the matters as per law, to the detriment of the environment. Having regard to the long delay which has already taken place, we see no justification for granting the extension sought,” the Tribunal bench of Adarsh Kumar Goel, Sudhir Agarwal, Brijesh Sethi, and Dr Nagin Nanda said in their ruling.
“The State cannot go on in a leisurely manner without concern for its duty. Accordingly, we direct that if CZMP is not completed even upto 31.12.2021, the concerned Secretary of State of Goa will not be entitled to salary from 01.01.2022 till the default continues. This direction is being issued in the light of the earlier direction in order dated 27.11.2019, which remains uncompiled, in view of the further extensions of time granted earlier, as above,” the NGT seeks.
The order in effect means that the State of Goa that was seeking a six month extension from the earlier deadline of August 31 will get a four month extension with only three of those months remaining.
The Goa government filed an application seeking extension of time for finalising the CZMP by six months i.e. till 28.02.2022, as against the time granted and extended from time to time which finally expired on 31.8.2021.
The matter dates back to the CRZ notification of 2011 which mandated that all coastal states would have to complete the CZMP preparation by 2015. On 19.05.2015 an original application was filed before the NGT Delhi, with the grievance that there was rampant degradation of coastal areas in the country in absence of effective regulation.
“An important step required for such regulation was finalization of CZMP,” the NGT had then noted.
Vide order dated 03.05.2017, the Tribunal directed the MoEF&CC to file an affidavit as to why CZMP for different States was not being finalized. The Tribunal also issued notice to 13 coastal States and UTs concerned. The matter was then considered on 31.05.2017 and it was noted that CZMP was required to be finalized in terms of the CRZ Regulation, 2011. It was observed that even though six years had passed after the said regulations were notified, CZMP had not been finalised.
Despite repeated extensions the Goa has failed to compile its CZMP and is now set to complete the exercise of correcting the plans based on suggestions and objections received at the public hearing that was held in August amid much controversy.
