While the Centre speaks of respecting conservation principles of coastal regions in its new Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification, it has pushed for lopsided development. Goa is set to witness a sea change in its coastline with the densely populated areas thrown open for more development. The contentious CRZ III category becomes a focal point of debate and becomes critical from Goa’s perspective.
The area under question for Goa is the CRZ III category which has been divided into two sub-categories. The high population density is classified as CRZ III-A, and low density areas clubbed as CRZ III-B. A population density of 2161 per square kilometre or above as per the 2011 census will be considered in CRZ III-A. Goa’s overall population density stands at 394 per sq km, a figure which has absolutely no relevance while deciding on No Development Zones (NDZ).
The new rules leave crucial questions unanswered. The notification doesn’t define the word ‘Area’ in its classification, leaving vast scope for speculation and misinterpretation. ‘Area’ may be understood to be an entire coastal stretch or a cluster of beaches, a panchayat area, a constituency, a taluka or district. Unless clearly defined, it remains a vague term in this context and most likely will open up legal challenges.
Going by common understanding of ‘Area’ to be a particular spot at the beach, there is a high probability that majority of Goa’s popular beach areas like Canacona, Palolem, Colva, Benaulim, Calangute, Candolim and others will have a 50 metres NDZ in view of their high population density.
Secondly, the notification calculates the population density per square kilometer. What it doesn’t specify is how this square kilometer is arrived at, considering the fact there is coastal length and landward scale involved.
Thirdly, there is no clarity on the thousands of structures which are in litigation under the CRZ 2011 rules of 200 metres and which now appear to be getting legal sanctity under the CRZ 2018 rules. Will they get a new lease of life or will the new rules not take retrospective effect?
That’s not all. The CRZ notification 2018 will virtually give a license for shack owners to go closer to the sea. Densely populated coastal areas will now be able to build shacks within 10 metres of the HTL. There can be toilet blocks, changing rooms, drinking water facilities and other temporary tourism facilities virtually a few steps away from sea. This comes at a time when shack owners have been consistently rapped for erecting structures closer to the beach. Let’s not forget the December 2017 tidal swells that swept in a wave of panic and disaster.
Lastly, it is rather surprising that a draft notification which has been scanned by environmental and coastal experts, bureaucrats and government functionaries ignored lacunae while approving the draft rules. There are gaping holes which leave many grey areas, giving enough room for vested interests to twist and turn rules to their advantage.
While Goa gets a bitter pill to swallow, the Centre has sugarcoated the new rules with words like “meeting the aspirations of coastal communities, boost to tourism, significant employment generation, better life and rejuvenation of coastal areas.”
What is not spoken of is the rampant destruction of sand dunes that Goa is staring at, along with a drastic change in coastline, an ‘area’ with which Goa is identified. Goemkarponn is long forgotten, it remains to be seen how many take up this crucial fight for Goem and its beaches.
