pdf - Ministry of Environment and Forests

(xvii) Vacant plots within municipal limits should be left open. They can be used for
parks, gardens, playgrounds etc. All efforts should be made to discourage and
reduce population densities and new activities in these areas. There is need to
sensitise Panchayat Members on the population supporting capacity of fragile
ecosystems. No construction activities, pipelines, cables, jetties, reclamation,
should be permitted in ecologically sensitive areas. Only repairs of existing
authorized structures should be permitted within open spaces. Reclam ation for
ports and harbours should be kept to the barest minimum.
(xviii) Coastal tourism and recreational facilities may be promoted in identified tourism
potential areas after taking into consideration the social issues of the area,
vulnerability and resources. Ecological literacy programmes should be initiated
for tourists, so that they do not dump non-biodegradable plastics and other wastes
in the coastal areas. There should be pride in preserving areas of great scenic
beauty.
(xix) The notification permits construction of fishing jetties and harbours in the coastal
zones other than the ecologically sensitive areas. However, the allied facilities for
fishing harbours such as storage stalls, ice factories, ice-pressing units, processing
units, workshops, storage units, fish warehousing are not permissible. The fish and
shell fish being highly perishable commodities, the post -harvest technologies are
very important for improving the self-life of fish for the purpose of marketing and
processing. Therefore, the Committee is of the opinion that integrated fish
processing units should be allowed after adequate environmental safety measures
are incorporated in the decision making process. Land for such purposes should be
made available on a priority basis by the district administration. Eventually, the
maps of the town and country planning departments could be amended to make
these allocations possible. Improved post-harvest technology is essential for
ensuring the quality and nutritional safety of fish and to prevent Salmonella
infection.
(xx) The role of the Coastal Zone Management Authorities needs to be expanded from
a mere a policing the coast for conservation purposes to one of sustainable and
integrated management. National and State Coastal Zone Management
Authorities have been constituted by the Central Government. However, in most
cases their composition is imbalanced, having none or very few local community
representation. These CZMAs if they are to be effective, both at national and state
level need to be reconstituted such that they have representatives of local
communities; community based organizations and non-governmental
organizations. The CZMAs need to be constituted at district levels as well,
perhaps in the form of district level authorities. At present, the state level CZMAs
have too large an area to monitor efficiently. There needs to be an active
participation of local communities in the planning and monitoring of activities on
the coast. This also dovetails with the point that local community representatives
need to be on CZMAs. At present this is missing at both national as well as state
levels. It should be incorporated at any other level also where such monitoring is
taking place. Unfortunately, because this aspect has not been explicitly stated in
the notification, it is ignored in practice.
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