Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The long-awaited public consultation on Goa’s draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) 2019 has been delayed once again, with authorities citing incomplete submissions and lack of timely inputs from key departments.
Officials indicated that several crucial components—required before the draft can be opened for public feedback—are still pending. These include detailed environmental management strategies for sensitive coastal regions, a comprehensive island management framework, and an eco-tourism plan.
The responsibility for preparing these documents has been divided among different agencies. Scientific institutions have been tasked with environmental and island-related plans, while departments such as tourism and forests are expected to finalise the eco-tourism component. However, delays in compiling and submitting these reports have slowed the overall progress.
Sources said that although the base draft of the CZMP had already been submitted earlier, the environment department is yet to receive complete inputs from all stakeholders. As a result, authorities have been compelled to extend deadlines and hold back the consultation process.
Officials stressed that these additional plans are not optional, but form an essential part of the final coastal regulation framework. Without them, the draft cannot be presented for objections and suggestions from the public.
The CZMP draft also includes provisions aimed at supporting traditional fishing communities, including conditional permissions for housing within a specified distance from the High Tide Line—marking a shift from earlier norms.
In the meantime, supporting plans related to mangroves, khazan lands, and turtle nesting areas have already been prepared and are expected to be integrated into the final document.
The latest delay adds to earlier setbacks, with the State having already missed timelines set by regulatory authorities to complete and notify the coastal management plan.
