Plan to be drafted by Environment Department in consultation with CZMA, GSPCB, scientists PORVORIM: In a major victory to the people, the State government on Tuesday announced it woud draft a fresh Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) for Goa taking into consideration the aspirations of the people, especially those living along the coastal belt. The plan will be drafted by the State Environment Department in consultation with agencies like Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMA), Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) and scientists. Environment Minister Nilesh Cabral told the State Legislative Assembly that the controversial CZMP, which was erroneously drafted, has been sent back to the Chennai-based consultant National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) for further study. He also informed the House that government will approach Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF&CC) to bring in an amendment to the CRZ notification 2011 specific for Goa. The government, if required, also intends to approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT) seeking more time for submission of CZMP, the deadline for which is August 30, he said. Cabral also said that the government will engage the services of an agency which would enable ground truthing of the sand dunes which seems to be improperly plotted. “Once the base maps, plans are ready, only then would we be in a position to ensure proper planning for preserving the environment in a better manner. For that purpose, we have decided that the Department of Environment will draft a fresh plan which would be Goa centric and will take people’s aspirations into account,” he assured the House. Cabral was speaking during the calling attention motion moved by BJP MLA Dayanand Sopte, who pointed out to the fear and anxiety in the minds of the people of Goa in general and the people of the coastal belt in particular with regards to CZMP. The House was unanimous that government should not accept the report prepared by NCSCM as referral plan. The Minister said that the taluka level meetings organised are consultations to make people aware about what is CZMP and what is CRZ. “However, some persons are misguiding and misleading the public that CZMP is finalised and that public hearings are undertaken,” Cabral said. “My endeavour is to reach out to every section of the society so as to gather valuable inputs from them and as assured we would also be visiting every local body shortly,” Cabral said, adding that the new CZMP would be a village-level base plan, which would be handed over to NCSCM to make necessary corrections in the plan prepared by them. “Unless we draft a fresh base plan, we will not be in position to tell NCSCM that they are wrong. We cannot depend on NCSCM to draft a plan for us. We have to do it and we are going to do it,” the Minister stated. Earlier speaking, Leader of the Opposition Digambar Kamat demanded that since the Minister is of the view that the draft plan is not as per people’s aspiration then the same be withdrawn. “Don’t use this plan as referral plan and go to people. It will obviously create panic and opposition. You tell people that the plan is withdrawn and we are drafting new plan,” he suggested. GFP MLA Vijai Sardesai was of the opinion that government should hand over the task of drafting CZMP to NIO. “What is the point in giving the task back to NCSCM, who have prepared a faulty report twice,” he said. “Don’t give public an opportunity to go mad at you by giving wrong plan which is massively erroneous as referral plan,” Sardesai said.