Goan coastline to be inspected for CRZ violations by Union Minister

The CRZ issue which has embroiled Goa for the past few months with the High Court issuing orders to demolish the structures which are illegal, is expected to get a fresh look from none other than the Union Minister for Environment himself. The Minister Mr Jairam Ramesh is expected to lead a delegation to Goa next week to check for himself the status of over 7000 structures standing on the Goan coastline besides over 2,272 houses existing along various rivers in Goa which face the axe of demolition.

The above information was given by the Chief Minister Mr Digambar Kamat while replying to a question posed to him by the Mapusa MLA Mr Francis D'Souza who wanted to know what steps the government was taking to protect coastal residents of Goan origin to save their structures from demolition due to the CRZ issue.

The Chief Minister also assured the house that all those who produce valid documents to prove the existence of their houses prior to 1991 would be immediately deleted from the demolition list. Toddy tappers and traditional fishermen of Goa are also sought to be protected from demolition to their structures by the government by exempting them from the list.

The Chief Minister also informed the house about the central governments assurance that the Coastal management Zone notification would be allowed to lapse as he said the same was not required by the state of Goa due to various fears expressed by the Goan fishing community.