Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Aug 2: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has urged Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav to relax noise regulations to allow music beyond 10 pm in designated or sparsely populated areas, saying the move would help promote the state as a preferred wedding destination.
During a meeting with the Union minister, Sawant also sought permission for regulated sand extraction in Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas to address the acute shortage of sand and rising construction costs in the state.
The Goa government has been pursuing the Centre for relaxation of noise restrictions to boost tourism, particularly the destination wedding sector, where late-night music is a key requirement.
Sawant told the Union minister that the state was also facing a severe shortage of sand after extraction activities were halted, resulting in escalating prices and affecting the common public.
Goa sand traders had recently threatened to suspend the transport of sand from Kudal and other parts of Maharashtra between August 1 and September 30, alleging that the state government had failed to secure the lifting of the National Green Tribunal's ban on sand extraction. They said the protest was aimed at pressuring the government to revive the stalled sand mining industry.
In a post on social media, Sawant said he held a "fruitful discussion" with Yadav on developing a sustainable and well-regulated framework for sand extraction in Goa, besides other issues related to the state's balanced development.
A senior government official said the Coastal Regulation Zone Notifications of 2011 and 2019 prohibit sand extraction in CRZ areas, while the existing sustainable sand mining guidelines mainly cover dry riverbed mining in non-coastal regions.
However, the official noted that an Office Memorandum issued by the Union Environment Ministry permits extraction and removal of sand bars under specified conditions.
The official added that the Goa government has completed detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and modelling studies on sand mining in the state's estuaries. According to a report by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), sand deposits in Goa are predominantly found in estuaries and CRZ areas.