Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) has ruled that constructions on khazan land made before its classification as an ecologically sensitive area in 2022 are not in violation of coastal regulations. The authority emphasized that the eco-sensitive designation, applied under the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) 2011, does not hold retrospective power.
Khazan lands in Goa were officially notified as eco-sensitive zones on September 7, 2022. According to a GCZMA official, the legal provisions associated with the new status apply only from the date of notification and do not affect developments that occurred earlier. “The regulations are not retroactive. They are applicable only to new constructions or developments post-notification,” the official explained.
The clarification came in response to a complaint by the Tenants Association of Camarcasanacho Budh Camarkhazan in Mapusa, which had alleged that a local business owner, Alba D’Mello, had illegally built a bar and restaurant on khazan land.
Following site visits and a series of hearings that began in January 2023, GCZMA concluded that D’Mello had secured all required approvals in 2018. While the site in question lies partially within the buffer zone for mangroves and falls under Coastal Regulation Zone-II (CRZ-II), the constructed structure was found to be outside both zones, albeit entirely within khazan land.
“The law respects historical approvals. Structures that were lawfully approved and constructed before the declaration cannot be arbitrarily invalidated,” the GCZMA official added.
