The Union government has issued a gazette notification on June 17 constituting the Karnataka Coastal Zone Management Authority.
The 15-member body is meant to protect and improve the quality of the coastal environment. Its job is preventing, abating and controlling environmental pollution in the Coastal Regulation Zone in Karnataka.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued the gazette notification on June 17 under provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The authority is headed by the Additional Chief Secretary, State Department of Forest, Ecology and Environment, Bengaluru. The term of the present members is for three years.
Referring to the measures to be taken by the authority the order said: “The authority shall, after receiving the application for approval of project proposal, examine the same if it is in accordance with the approved Coastal Zone Management Plan and within the requirements of the Coastal Regulation Zone notification issued by the Government of India in the erstwhile Ministry of Environment and Forests and published vide number S.O.19(E), January 6, 2011 (hereinafter referred to as the said notification), and make recommendations for approval of such project to the concerned authority, as specified in the said notification, within a period of sixty days from the date of receipt of such application…”
The authority should regulate all developmental activities in the CRZ areas as specified in the 2011 notification, and is responsible for enforcing and monitoring provisions of the notification.
It should examine the proposals received from the Karnataka government for changes or modifications in classification of CRZ areas and in the Coastal Zone Management Plan, and make specific recommendations thereon to the National Coastal Zone Management Authority.
The authority should inquire into cases of alleged violation of provisions of the Act or the rules made thereunder; and review the cases involving violations or contraventions of provisions of the Act and the rules made thereunder, the order said.
It should inquire or review cases of violations or contraventions of the notification suo moto, or on the basis of a complaint made by any individual or body or organisation. It is authorised to file complaints under Section 19 of the Act.
The authority shall take such action as may be required under Section 10 of the Act, to verify the facts of the cases before it.
It should have its own website and post information relating to its functions, including the agenda in its meetings, minutes of the meetings, decisions taken in each meeting, recommendations for matters on violations and contraventions of the said notification and action taken on such violations and contraventions.
The authority should also post on its website court matters, including orders of courts and the approved Coastal Zone Management Plan of the Karnataka government.
It should furnish reports of its activities at least once in six months to the National Coastal Zone Management Authority.
A. Senthil Vel, Professor and Dean, College of Fisheries, Mangaluru; Shivakumar B. Haragi, Assistant Professor, Karnataka University Post Graduate Centre, Karwar; M.D. Subash Chandran, Consulting Scientist, (Ecology and Environment), Centre for Ecological Sciences,IISc., Bengaluru; Ramesh H., Associate Professor, Department of Applied Mechanics and Hydraulics, NITK, Mangaluru are expert members. Ramachandra Bhatta of Kasarakod, Honnavar is the member representing NGOs in the authority. Others are ex-officio members.
Prof. Vel told The Hindu on Saturday that one of the major concerns of the Karnataka coast is that the shore line is experiencing serious erosion resulting in loss of land, property and livelihood. The root cause of the erosion is to be analysed and scientific measures are to be adopted to prevent erosion. Coastal and marine pollution, including indiscriminate disposal of solid waste, sewage discharge, reclamation of land, loss of fish stock and adverse impact of climate change, have to addressed on war footing in order to protect the livelihood of fishing and local communities.
He said that the Union government is constituting coastal zone management authorities in 13 States and Union territories as per an order of the Supreme Court in writ petition 664/1993. The national authority had also been constituted as per the order.
