Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: In a relief to property owners in mangrove buffer zones, the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) has clarified that Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms will not be applied retrospectively to structures that were already in existence before lands were declared mangrove zones under the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) 2011.
The decision came during a GCZMA meeting held on October 28, addressing a complaint filed by Trajano D’Mello regarding alleged illegal construction in the No Development Zone (NDZ) of Aldona village. Following the complaint, GCZMA’s expert members conducted a site inspection and found sluice gates on both sides of the property and bundhs on two sides, noting that the authority’s jurisdiction extends only up to the sluice gates. The property itself was determined to fall outside the purview of CRZ restrictions.
The Authority emphasized that the CZMP 2011, which was officially notified on September 7, 2022, cannot be enforced retroactively on structures that predated the declaration of the area as a mangrove buffer zone. “Structures that existed prior to the area being declared as a mangrove buffer zone will not be affected by the CZMP 2011 notification,” the GCZMA said.
On these grounds, the complaint regarding alleged illegal construction was dismissed as meritless.
Earlier in August 2025, the GCZMA had also clarified that any construction works that were started and completed with the required statutory approvals before the CZMP 2011 came into effect cannot be treated as violations of CRZ regulations. The authority reiterated that proper approvals granted before the final notification of CZMP 2011 protect existing constructions from retrospective regulatory action.
