Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Aug 9: The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has instructed the Goa government to use the revised Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) 2011 as the baseline for drafting the updated CZMP under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2019.

In a communication dated August 7 to the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), the Ministry clarified that instead of seeking fresh approval for the revised CZMP 2011, Goa should use it as a foundation for preparing the CZMP 2019.

The Technical Scrutiny Committee had earlier recommended revising the Goa CZMP 2011 based on updated bund data and asked GCZMA to submit the revised maps for final approval by the National Coastal Zone Management Authority.

Dr Kharkwal, a scientist at the Ministry, noted in the letter that since Goa is already in the process of updating the CZMP per the 2019 CRZ Notification, it is appropriate to adopt the revised 2011 plan as the base.

The technical committee approved the revised 2011 maps at a 1:25,000 scale. Though the Ministry had approved the CZMP 2011 in September 2022, GCZMA raised concerns and opted to update the plan. The Ministry’s latest directive aims to streamline the process going forward.