Mumbai: Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union environment minister Bhupendra Yadav for clearing the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) for Thane, Raigad, Palghar, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg districts. The clearnace shall help several public as well as private projects in the region and gear up key infrastructure projects, CM Shinde said.
Change expected to boost tourism activity
The CZMP divides the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) into four types: Eco-Sensitive Zones, Developed Zones, Rural Areas, and Water Bodies. The CZMA has also reduced the limit from 100 meters to 50 meters from the high-tide level for creeks and rivers. While this change is expected to boost tourism activity, it will also facilitate the redevelopment of old dilapidated houses in the coastal regions. Local authorities will now have the authority to approve construction activities up to 300 square meters.
"The CZMP for Mumbai was approved in 2022. The CZMP for the remaining districts will also result in increased FSI for these areas," stated a senior officer from the state environment department.
The provisions of the CZMP will aid in regularizing old houses and establishing common facilities for local residents in coastal zones. Fishermen will be permitted to use the land for traditional activities such as fish drying, net repairing, and boat maintenance. The new regulations will make it easier to develop facilities like shacks, toilets, and common seating areas for tourists along the coasts, the officer added.
NCZMA approved in 2019
In a meeting led by CM Shinde on November 3, 2022, the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) presented the CZMP, which was then submitted to the central authorities. The National Coastal Zone Management Authority (NCZMA) approved the draft Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) 2019 for Thane, Raigad, Palghar, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg districts during its meeting on August 1, 2023. The final notification was issued today by the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MOEFCC).
The state government has engaged the Chennai-based National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) to prepare the CZMP. The draft CZMP was discussed during the Technical Scrutiny Committee meeting held at NCSCM on July 8, 2021, and was further examined by MCZMA before being submitted to the MoEFCC. The Ministry requested the state to include the shoreline management plan and Eco-Sensitive Zones in the draft CZMPs. Following the inclusion of the shoreline management plan and Eco-Sensitive Zones, objections and suggestions were invited from all five districts."
