Centre's order on beaches may hurt Goa tourism

Sandesh Prabhudesai in Panaji

The beach tourism in Goa is under immense threat from the central environment ministry as it has directed the tourist state to strictly follow its coastal regulation zone notification issued six years ago, not allowing any illegal construction within the specified high-tide line limits of the coastline.

The Goa government, however, seems to have approved 75 such projects in the prohibited areas, claiming it to be "residential units" but used as hotel projects, since February 1991. While half of these projects have already come up, the remaining are under construction.

As most of these projects have come up in the famous tourist belt of Calangute and Candolim, the local bench of Bombay high court has also asked both the panchayats (local councils) to submit a list of constructions allowed in the regulated zone, while stopping one such project by the Delhi Darbar group.

Dr Claude Alvares, a noted local environmentalist heading the Goa Foundation, has expressed serious doubt about the status of most of these projects as they do not belong to the local residents but to big hoteliers. The local people have also built "guest houses" for tourists, within 200 metres.

Since the high court had restrained the government from approving any hotel project in violation of the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) notification, the state Congress government had started approving it as "residential units," finding a loophole in the act.

Rejecting the four draft coastal zone management plans (CZMP) submitted by the state government since 1992, the central ministry of environment sent its own plan in September last year, instructing the state authorities to submit the modified plan with detailed survey maps within two months. The Goa government, however, is still sitting over it.

The CZMP prepared by the ministry has declared half of the Goan coastline as the CRZ 1 area, which means that no construction activity is allowed within 500 metres from the high-tide line. Similarly, the remaining beaches have been notified as CRZ 3 area, under which hotels and resorts are allowed within 200 to 500 metres from the high-tide line, with various restrictions.

Alvares claims that the state government has approved hundreds of constructions in both the zones, in violation of the CRZ notification, which may face demolition notices if the court intervenes. He is planning to approach the court once again if the government does not act.

The Goa Foundation has already succeeded in stopping illegal constructions by around 20 star-hotels in the state, some of which were allowed by the local authorities even after the Supreme Court gave a clearcut verdict on the CRZ notification in April 1996.

As the government has also approved various hotel projects within 100 metres along the river banks in violation of the CRZ notification, Alvares said he would challenge it shortly in the court. He also plans to intervene if the government challenges the Supreme Court guidelines on the CRZ notification.

State Revenue Minister Wilfred Mesquita has said he would prefer challenging the Supreme Court order rather than submit to the modified CZMP of the Centre.