PANAJI
Flagging a major revenue loss and concerns over the monitoring of pollution-control facilities, the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has urged the Central Board to reconsider its decision to reclassify hotels with up to 20 rooms, restaurants with fewer than 100 seats and standalone banquet and marriage halls measuring up to 1,000 sq m from the “Green” to the “White” category.
The GSPCB has warned that nearly 80 per cent of hotels and restaurants that were earlier classified under the Green category could now fall under the White category under the revised CPCB guidelines issued on July 20. The move, the Board noted, could significantly affect its revenue, as it meets its expenditure primarily through fees collected under the consent management system.
The issue came up during the Board's meeting held on September 23, where the Chairman informed members that the CPCB's revised classification guidelines had shifted these establishments to the White category based on parameters including the use of cleaner or gaseous fuel in hotel kitchens, restaurant seating capacity and the area of banquet halls.
The Chairman pointed out that the GSPCB had already written to the CPCB Chairman on September 3, seeking reconsideration of the revised classification.
“Goa's environmental sensitivity and tourism-driven concentration of commercial establishments warrant a different approach from one based solely on the size or capacity of individual units,” the Board has argued.
The Board has cautioned that a restaurant with 99 seats cannot reasonably be treated as a small establishment in Goa, particularly in densely populated and tourism-intensive coastal areas. It has also called for the cumulative impact of multiple hotels, guest houses and restaurants operating in the same locality to be considered, especially in terms of sewage generation, solid waste, noise pollution and pressure on local infrastructure.
In its communication to the CPCB, the GSPCB has proposed that Goa retain a more stringent classification framework, arguing that establishments must be assessed in the context of the State's environmental conditions and pollution-control facilities.
The Board has pointed out that it had already approved the classification of small restaurants with seating capacity of up to 20 seats and an area of less than 36 sq m under the White category at its 165th Board meeting held on June 9, 2026.
It has proposed that this threshold be retained for Goa instead of extending the White category to restaurants with up to 100 seats. Under the proposal, restaurants with more than 20 and up to 100 seats would continue to be regulated under the Green category, while guest houses and banquet or marriage halls would also remain in the Green category.
The Board has also cited the need to ensure compliance with discharge standards prescribed under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and the Ministry of Environment and Forests notification dated November 4, 2009.
The Board also proposed that fees applicable to these establishments under the Green category be retained, while the fees for White-category industries be increased to strengthen the Board's financial position.
The members agreed to continue charging establishments at the rates applicable when they were classified under the Green category.
During deliberations, members also noted that the Board had not received any clarification on the earlier notification concerning the requirement of sewage treatment plants (STPs) for establishments with seating capacity of 36 and above or an area of 100 sq m.
The Chairman pointed out that the shift of previously regulated Green-category establishments to the White category could complicate inspections and monitoring, particularly when complaints are received or when existing STPs require monitoring to ensure compliance with prescribed standards.
After deliberations, the members unanimously approved that hotels with more than 20 rooms and restaurants with seating capacity above 36 would be classified under the Green category, while hotels with fewer than 20 rooms and restaurants with seating capacity below 36 would be placed in the White category.
