PANAJI
In figures that will eyebrows among Goans, Goa has topped the list in the number of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) violations that have been reported in the country in the last five years.
As per the information provided in a written reply by Minister of State, MoEF & CC Ashwini Kumar Choubey in the Rajya Sabha Goa reported 974 cases of CRZ violations from among the 1878 cases that were reported during the last five years across the country.
Choubey replying to a question raised by YSR Congress parliamentarian S Niranjan Reddy said that action has been taken accordingly. Maharashtra is second in the list with 556 violations followed by Karnataka with 101 violations.
Coastal zones are defined as an interface between land and the sea that comprises coastal land, intertidal area, and coastal ecosystems including rivers, estuaries, marshes, wetlands and beaches.
India has a coastline of about 7516 km. The CRZ notification classifies coastal areas into different zones to manage developmental activities in an integrated manner.
There have been institutional lapses in this regard as well, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. The environment ministry has not notified the national coastal zone management authority as a permanent body with recommended members, the government’s auditor said in a report tabled in Parliament in August 2022.
Instances were also found where expert appraisal committees granted environmental clearances despite the absence of domain experts during the project deliberations, the performance audit said.
