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Goa has finalised its eco-sensitive zones master plan, paving the way for a new Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) based on revised 2011 maps, as directed by the Union Environment Ministry under the 2019 CRZ Notification. The move aims to strengthen governance of high-tide-line developments and safeguard fragile coastal communities. Lawmakers have called for quick CZMP completion, improved oversight of water-sports licensing, and restoration of sand-dunes, khazan-lands, and mangroves. The state is also reviving its beach-carrying-capacity study to set limits on shack permits. The GCZMA clarified that structures on khazan land built before its eco-sensitive designation under the 2011 CZMP will remain legal.
Goa's government has achieved a long-awaited milestone by finalizing its eco-sensitive zones master plan, opening the path to drafting the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) based on the revised 2011 maps. The Union Ministry of Environment has now instructed that the 2011 plan serve as the foundation for the CZMP, aligning with the CRZ Notification of 2019. Advertisement
This clears the way for better governance of developments close to the high-tide line especially important for fragile coastal communities. State legislators pressed for swift finalization of the CZMP to protect livelihoods and ecology. They highlighted gaps in regulation oversight, particularly in licensing and insurance for water-sports operations, and underscored the urgent need for restoration policies on sand-dunes, khazan-lands, and mangrove areas.
The state is also finally reviving its beach-carrying-capacity study after years of delay. The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority has commissioned the National Institute of Oceanography to assess how many shacks can be permitted along the coast under new saturation criteria, CRZ rules, and eco-sensitive protections.
In a recent clarification, the GCZMA ruled that structures built on khazan land before the land's designation as eco-sensitive under the 2011 CZMP (notified in 2022) remain legal ensuring that pre-existing constructions are not retroactively penalized.
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