NGT notice to TN govt over 'incomplete' draft Coastal Zone Management Plan maps
CHENNAI: The southern bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notice to the state government over the alleged incomplete draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) maps for which public hearing has been called in all the coastal districts starting August 18.
Two fishermen leaders - Jesu Rethinam from Nagapattinam and K Saravanan from Chennai - have petitioned the NGT challenging the CZMP maps and sought interim injunction on scheduled public hearing saying the maps don't have even fundamental components like fishing zones in the waterbodies and fishing village boundaries, breeding and spawning grounds of fish, common properties of the fishermen communities, detailed plans for long-term housing needs of coastal fisher communities.
In the petition, they alleged fisheries department was seeking information on fisher settlement and livelihood spaces for inclusion after the draft CZMP and land use plan maps are prepared. "The information which is crucial while preparing CZMP maps have been sought only now. But, Tamil Nadu Coastal Zone Management Authority proceeded to upload the incomplete draft maps and have now scheduled public hearings. The entire process is being reduced to a formality, making a mockery of the right of people to participate in the process."
One of the petitioners Saravanan, who is an expert in GIS mapping, said the 105 CZMP map sheets that are uploaded have also omitted ecologically sensitive features like sand dunes, turtle nesting grounds, seagrass beds etc.
This was not the first time such complaints are made. During the earlier exercise as well similar concerns were raised. Both Madras High Court and the NGT had issued orders to revise the maps to comply with the Coastal Regulation Zone guidelines. For instance, in 2018, when the CZMPs under the 2011 CRZ Notification were prepared and notified, there were several shortcomings. The violation in these maps were listed out and highlighted before the Madras High Court, which passed a detailed order on February 13, 2020 directing the authorities to rectify the lacunae.
The maps also did not mark the low, medium and high erosion areas. The Union environment ministry had issued an Office Memorandum in 2009 classifying coasts with more than 1 metre erosion per year as high erosion zones. In April, 2022, court directed the demarcation of erosion prone areas, status of erosion along the coast in the CZMP, however, the maps contain no such demarcation.
Deepak S Bilgi, director of department of environment and member secretary of Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority, told TNIE the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) has prepared the CZMP maps based on verified information which were available with the government department. "The fishermen can highlight their concerns during the public hearing. Those observations will be referred back to NCSCM for updating before sending the maps to Union environment ministry for approval. In Maharashtra, the maps were updated even after the approval. The fishermen need not get worried. Their interests will be protected," he added.