A. Srivathsan Government finds new notification greatly centralised Doubts about completing mapping of setback line CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has requested the Ministry of Environment and Forest Government of India to draft a Tamil translation of the new Coastal Management Zone (CMZ) Notification 2008 in order to disseminate it among fishermen, the principal stakeholders of the coastal zone. The draft letter circulated to the various departments by the principal secretary to Government of Tamil Nadu states that the MoEF must extend the extend the time given for comments to facilitate this. In addition, the State government finds the new notification greatly centralised and wants the powers to approve the integrated costal management plans to be devolved to the State. It has recommended that only plans that need exemptions or deviating from the norms alone be referred to the Central government. Tamil Nadu has sought a stake in the National Board for Sustainable Zone Management. The MoEF recently published the draft CMZ Notification for public comments. The notification will replace the existing Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) when it is finalised. The coastal areas will be delineated with reference to a setback line marked based on the vulnerability of the coast. All developments in coastal areas will be regulated according to the new rule. The State government has raised serious doubts about completing the mapping of setback line within two years as committed by the MoEF. It has pointed out to the inabilities and delay in mapping the earlier high tide line and suggested that a pilot project in Cuddalore and Nagapattinam be undertaken to test the new idea and map the setback line it before it is scaled up to the entire State. It also wants a clarification on whether the new CMZ notification proposes to automatically regularise existing building violations on the coastal zones.