Public Consultation on the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification at Verna in South Goa.

Dear Consumer Forum Convenors & Secretaries,

We wish to remind you about the P
ublic Consultation with Fisher Folks
& the Community on the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification to be held
in Verna in South Goa.

DATE: 30th August, 2009 (Sunday)
TIME: 2pm to 6pm.
VENUE: Fr. Agnel Ashram, Opposite Padre Conceicao College of Engineering,
Verna, Salcette.
CHAIRPERSON: Union Minister for Environment & Forests Mr. Jairam Ramesh.

This is in continuation of the earlier consultations held in 2008 about the CMZ
Notificaton of 2008 which GOACAN co-organised in collaboration with Centre
for Environment Education (CEE) and the photo copy of the report of the same
was provded to you earlier.

Below please find a background note of the present Consultation on the CRZ
Notification as prepared by CEE.

The basic reading material has already been kept for your Consumer Forum,
so please arrange to collect it if you have not done so on the Tue / Wed meeting.

If you need any clarifications please SMS/Call Lorna on 9822180182

Kindly acknowledge this mail as we need to confirm receipt.

many thanks,

Roland Martins
(Co-ordinator)
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Background and Context Note prepared by CEE

Following the public consultations on the Coastal Management Zone
(CMZ) 2008 Notification, the Ministry of Environment and Forests
(MoEF), Govt. of India, constituted a four-member Committee
on June 15, 2009 under the Chairmanship of Prof. M. S. Swaminathan
to recommend future steps on the draft Coastal Management Zone
(CMZ) Notification, 2008. The other members of the Committee
were Dr. Shailesh Nayak, Secretary, Ministry of Earth Sciences;
Mr J M Mauskar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment
and Forests; and Ms Sunita Narain, Director, Centre for Science
and Environment. The Committee was given the following Terms
of Reference (TOR):

To examine the comments received by the Ministry on the draft
Coastal Management Zone Notification, 2008

To advise on the policy and legal framework for Integrated Coastal
Zone Management

The committee studied the views expressed by a wide range of stakeholders
both in writing and orally at the 35 consultations held all over the country by
the Centre for Environment Education (CEE). Based on further discussions
with Central and state government and Mumbai Metropolitan Representatives
and also with the representatives of fishermen and women, the committee had
formulated the recommendations in their report dated 16th July, 2009.

The major recommendation of the committee:

"Let the CMZ Notification, 2008 lapse and incorporate amendments as
recommended in the existing CRZ Notification, 1991 for better coastal
management.


Public Consultations

While the CMZ 2008 Notification has lapsed, the MoEF is keen to
gather the public opinion about the committees recommendation and
incorporate appropriate suggestions before bringing in further amendments
to strengthen the existing CRZ 1991.

With this objective, MoEF has commissioned the Centre for Environment
Education (CEE) to hold 10 public consultations. Honorable Union
Minister, MoEF, Govt. of India has expressed that he would be attending
the public consultations being held at Goa, Mumbai, Cochin, Chennai and
Bhubaneshwar. The remaining consultations to be held in Gujarat, Karnataka,
Pondicherry, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal will be held during the
1st and 2nd week of Spetember, 2009.

The majority stakeholders expected for these consultations are the coastal
community representatives, fisher federations, CBOs, NGOs and related
government departments. The inputs from these consultations will be
considered by the Ministry while reviewing the existing CRZ 1991.

Relevance and importance of participation

The public consultations would serve as a platform for voices of the public
being considered by policy makers and at the same time enable the intricacies
of the local issues and concerns relevant to your coastal and marine
environment to be known by one and all.

Program Schedule of Public Consultation
The schedule for the Public Consultative Meeting in Goa
DATE: 30th, August, 2009 (Sunday)
TIME: 02 PM to 06:00 PM.
VENUE: Fr. Agnel Ashram, Opposite Padre Conceicao College of Engineering,
Verna, Salcette, Goa

The Consultation meeting may begin with a presentation of the summary
of the Review Committee Report. Various stakeholder groups
(e.g. Fisher folk federation, Community Representatives, NGO/CBOs/,
Legal experts etc.) would present their comments and discussed.

Basic reading material
1. Review Committee Report on the Draft CMZ 2008
2. Summary of the Review Committee Report in local language