Goa’s coastal management plan gets nod

The National Coastal Zone Management Authority has given its nod to Goa’s coastal management plan, the absence of which has led to several projects on the coastline pending.

The National Coastal Zone Management Authority has given its nod to Goa’s coastal management plan, the absence of which has led to several projects on the coastline pending.

The National Coastal Zone Management Authority has given its nod to Goa’s coastal management plan. (Reuters)

Confirming the development, environment minister Nilesh Cabral told HT: “Yes, the plan has been approved. I have asked the secretary to brief me on the details.”

The plan, which is a statutory document under the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification of 2011, was initially meant to have been ready by 2015 but witnessed several delays, prompting the National Green Tribunal to ban the state from issuing fresh coastal clearances until the plan is finalised.

The management plan sets out coastal features and more importantly, draws the high tide line within which constructions are to be regulated. It also demarcates environmentally-sensitive areas like turtle nesting sites and fishing villages.

The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority, which finalised the plan in a meeting held on August 19, meanwhile, brushed aside “observations” that the plan was approved without any due process. “Due process has been followed and another (additional) round of public hearings and consultative process was done on the directions of the National Green Tribunal,” it said.