Panaji, March 11 The Goa government will take a decision on the depiction of port limits within village areas in the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan 2019 after considering the objections raised by people, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told the assembly.
A motion to draw attention to the issue, moved on Tuesday by opposition MLAs, including Vijai Sardesai of the GFP, Cruz Silva of the AAP, and Carlos Alvares Ferreira of the Congress, raised concerns that the depicted port limits could extend to river stretches and riverbanks, traditionally used by local communities, fishermen, and riverside villages, potentially affecting customary rights and access to waterways.
Responding to the motion, Sawant said that the draft CZMP 2019 has been circulated among various state departments and authorities for inter-departmental consultation, and it is yet to be placed in the public domain for public consultation.
Sawant stated that provisions under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2019, require coastal states to revise or update their CZMPs prepared under the earlier CRZ Notification, 2011.
He said that the 2011 notification specified that the No Development Zone (NDZ) would not apply to areas falling within the notified port limits.
"Accordingly, while preparing the CZMP, the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management sought details of port limits to be reflected in the plan," he said.
Sawant informed that the Department of Environment and Climate Change subsequently obtained information on notified minor port limits from the Captain of Ports and major port limits from the Mormugao Port Authority, which were then depicted in the draft CZMP maps.
The chief minister stated that during the public consultation on CZMP 2011, a demand was raised to remove port limits from the CZMP maps, and the state government had agreed to the request at that time.
"The government would now take a decision on the depiction of port limits in the CZMP 2019 after considering the views received during the upcoming public consultation," he added.