Friday, June 24, 2016

50 mts from HTL could be the new NDZ

Oherald‎‎‎: Panaji: Friday, June 24, 2016.
In a bid to boost development in coastal areas and protect traditional communities like fishermen, the  Central government constituted six-member committee on Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) has proposed that the ‘no development buffer zone’ (NDZ) be limited up to 50 meters from the High Tide Line (HTL) for densely populated areas. The NDZ currently extends to 200 meters.
However, the recommendations, under consideration of the Union Ministry for Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), if imposed could prove disastrous to Goa’s coastal ecology, which is already reeling under tremendous pressure.
Granting the relaxation to traditional inhabitants, wanting to take up housing or commercial development, the Committee has recommended that such activities be granted permissions for economic development of the community. The Committee has opined that MoEFCC should restrict itself to policy making in the area of coastal management and monitoring of activities, while vesting powers to the State authorities to tackle the concerns of the people.
MoEFCC had in June 2014 appointed Dr Shailesh Nayak (former secretary of Ministry of Earth Science) to study the necessary changes that could be made to the CRZ notification 2011, following dissatisfaction expressed by various State governments with regard to CRZ limitations. The report submitted in January 2015, was kept under wraps by the Union Ministry.
The ministry released the report after an order from the Information Commissioner last month stating the ministry cannot deny the report under the Right to Information (RTI), Act. 
“The move to reduce the NDZ from 200 meters to 50 meters could prove deterrent to coastal ecology. It is like you can now construct anything right on the shore,” a senior official from the State Environment Department said, stating that ‘even in 200 meters of NDZ, environment is widely damaged’.
The report has divided areas as densely populated rural areas and rural areas, and imposes lesser regulation for the former through the reduction of the NDZ to 50 metres and 200 meters of the high tide line for others.
“The committee has dealt seriously on the State demand to protect the interests of traditional fishing communities, by proposing that such communities need to be provided adequate opportunities for economic development,” the official said.
“Most of the traditional coastal communities, who live on the resources from the coastal areas, especially fishing, need to be provided with adequate opportunity for economic development. The local communities should be provided with an opportunity to take up tourism, artisanal fisheries such as traditional aquaculture and ornamental fish culture, in such ecosystem areas for their economic improvement,” the report has stated.
The coastal regulations were last amended in 2011 but several States pointed out that this hampered development in the coastal areas. The committee found that the regulations, especially with regard to construction, have affected housing, slum redevelopment, redevelopment of dilapidated structures and other dangerous buildings.