NGT order no hurdle to CRZ clearance for shacks: govt

NT NETWORK
PANAJI
Claiming that the order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) asking the state government to get studies done on the carrying capacity of beaches and sand dune mapping will not cause any delay in Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) clearance to shacks, the state government has said that the NGT decision will only be binding on shacks to be erected in private properties and has nothing to do with shacks to be erected along the beach belt.
Official sources in the government have clarified that there is no need for the newly reconstituted Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) to wait for the final report of the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) on beach-carrying capacity and sand dune mapping to grant the CRZ clearance to the beach shack operators.
Though the state tourism department has cleared the shack policy draft, the same is yet to get the approval of the cabinet and the GCZMA.
After much delay, the Union Ministry for Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) on Wednesday reconstituted the GCZMA for a three-year period. The order was issued by Arun Mehta, Union Joint Secretary.
Claiming that the order of the NGT will not cause any delay in CRZ clearance to the 367 beach shacks, the government official said that the green court’s order asking the state government to get a carrying-capacity study of beaches completed so as to assess if any more shacks can be allowed was ordered to decide allotment of shacks in private properties.
The NGT had reiterated its directions to the state government to comply with its orders even on Thursday. The court asked the GCZMA to pay Rs 10,000 to the petitioner and ordered to not grant new permission to the private shacks until the alleged illegal structures erected in violation of CRZ rules are demolished.
Speaking to this daily, the official said that NGT, in connection with a writ petition from Aleixo Pereira challenging permission granted to private shack operators, had perused submissions made by the tourism department and GCZMA and noted that beach shack policy of last three tourist seasons was evolved as per directions of the High Court. Hence, the NGT did not raise doubts on the policy, the official said, stating that the High Court has also observed that the state government is empowered to regulate and enforce CRZ notification in consultation and approval from GCZMA.
“The newly constituted authority will soon be going to meet and take a decision on approval of the beach shack policy,” the official said.
The NGT order of September 19, last month, which directed GCZMA to not grant any permission for erection of any shacks, huts, stalls and cottages without examining the beach-carrying capacity report was related to private shacks and not for shacks erected along the beaches.
The GCZMA, which had become defunct for the last three months, has also affected the beach shack operators, who were to start their business after the beginning of the tourist season, after the last policy lapsed in May this year. Shack owners in the state were also upset with the delay in the finalization of the government’s shack policy, leading to ambiguity among them whether or not to erect temporary shacks.
The newly reconstituted 13-member committee is headed by the State Environment Secretary and includes Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, directors of Panchayat, Environment, Survey and Land records, Tourism; chief engineers of water resource department, public works department; five expert members including Audhut J Bhounsale, former executive engineer, PWD; Nandakumar Sawant, principal, Parvatibai Chowgule College of Arts and Science, Margao; Professor Suhas Godse, former head of department of zoology, Dhempe college of Arts and Science, Miramar and Shirang Jhambhale, secretary, Gram Vikas Kendra, Savoi-Verem.
In order to fast-track the shack allotment process, the tourism department has invited applications for temporary shacks – 259 in North Goa and 108 in South Goa – for three tourist seasons from 2016 to 2019.