PANAJI
After deliberating a proposal from the Excise Department and the GSIDC, the GCZMA directed its Member Secretary “to forward a copy of the CRZ Notification 2011 to the Commissioner of the Excise Department and Managing Director of the GSIDC highlighting relevant paragraphs of the notification… and further decided to direct the Excise Department and the GSIDC to come up with such project proposals only upon thorough study of the regulations and strictly complying with the provisions / permissible activities under CRZ Notification 2011.” The Excise Department and the GSIDC had submitted plans for the reconstruction of an excise outpost in Kiranpani in Pernem Taluka. The matter for approval of a excise post being built by the GSIDC came up for approval at the 128th board meeting of the GCZMA. The plans submitted includes a building with four floors. The proposed plan is for the reconstruction of a government owned dilapidated building into a tall building in which two floors would be below road level and two floors above road level; in addition, a tower is also integrated with the building. However, in this case, the site is located 15 metres below the road level and the entire plot falls in the No Development Zone of the CRZ. “According to CRZ 2011 Notification, reconstruction in CRZ cannot exceed 9 m; as such this plan is not in conformity with prevailing CRZ rules,” the GCZMA said in its inspection report. Accordingly, when the matter was placed before the GCZMA first on March 29 the authority refused to grant it permission and asked the excise department and the GSIDC to submit revised plans. However, in the meeting held on May 6, the GSIDC and the Excise Department returned to the GCZMA with the same plans and instead argued that their proposed structure was well within the norms since it was below 9m the road when calculated from the road level and not from the base of the existing plinth of the structure they want to reconstruct. The representatives of the Excise Department stated that the proposed outpost building is designed by considering the aesthetics of the area and further informed the GCZMA that incase if the said proposal is not allowed then they have to convert the lower two floors into a large retaining wall which will be of no use or cannot be utilized for any purpose. “The Excise Department and GSIDC are not aware of the provisions of the CRZ Notification 2011,” the GCZMA noted in the minutes of its meeting. Architect for the GSIDC Pankaj Joshi, argued that the proposed building strictly conforms to and is well within the building height norms permitted in the zone which is 9 m. The proposed building height is 7.125 m from the adjoining road level. He further stated that due to steep slope from the road to the river two stilt floors were proposed in order to avoid a construction of heavy large wall.
