Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji

Panaji, Mar 16: In a major setback for the Goa government, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has refused to approve the revised Goa Coastal Zone Management Plan (GCZMP) 2011 based on Bhunaksha (Cadastral) plans.

The technical scrutiny committee of the MoEF&CC has instead recommended the revised draft CZMP maps on a 1:25,000 scale, as per its earlier directive. The committee rejected the State’s request to incorporate the modified cadastral plans, which Goa officials argued were crucial for drafting a new CZMP in line with the CRZ Notification 2019.

According to the minutes of a meeting held on February 28, the committee recommended that the GCZMA submit the revised draft CZMP maps on a 1:25,000 scale for final approval by the National Coastal Zone Management Authority (NCZMA) and MoEF&CC.

The recommendation was based on inputs from the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), which prepared the initial CZMP for Goa, approved by MoEF&CC in September 2022. However, after overlaying the approved 1:25,000 scale CZMP maps with the State’s new Bhunaksha plans, discrepancies were identified. Goa authorities then asked NCSCM to review and align the plans accordingly.

Outgoing Director for Environment, Johnson Fernandes, informed the committee that NCSCM had reviewed the overlay with Bhunaksha plans and found them reasonable. He urged the committee to approve the revised plans to facilitate the preparation of Goa’s CZMP-2019.

However, NCSCM Director Dr Manik Mahapatra clarified that cadastral data is not involved in the 1:25,000 scale CZMP maps. He reiterated that the revised CZMP maps, modified as per bund and sluice gate data provided by GCZMA, were prepared in line with MoEF&CC directives.

Following this, the committee maintained its stance, recommending only the 1:25,000 scale CZMP maps for approval by NCZMA and MoEF&CC, effectively dismissing the State’s request for Bhunaksha-based modifications.

The Goa government had requested the committee to approve the maps submitted by NCSCM to GCZMA in August 2024, but with this rejection, the CZMP revision process faces fresh hurdles.