Maharashtra: Maharashtra govt seeks to expedite plan for coastal zone development

MUMBAI: The government of Maharashtra has approached the central government to expedite the process of preparing Coastal Zone Management Plans (CZMP) as per the Coastal Regulation Zone notification of 2019 for Mumbai city, its suburban areas, Thane, Palghar district area, Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg.

In June 2019, the central government had released guidelines for preparation of this plan for states on the coastline.

The final plan would dictate the quantum of land parcels that can be opened for real estate and construction activities.

Several housing societies and slums are expected to be eligible for redevelopment based on the plan as these areas will get a Floor Space Index (FSI) or permissible development equal to the rest of the city.

Maharashtra’s Tourism, Environment and Climate Change, Protocol Minister Aaditya Thackeray has written a letter to Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar seeking finalisation of the draft CZMP for Mumbai at the earliest.

“To expedite the process of finalisation of draft CZMPs of Greater Mumbai, the necessary instructions for the same be kindly issued to National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) at the earliest,” the letter said.

ET has reviewed a copy of this letter.

The state government has completed the district-wise process of public consultation for the draft CZMP. The technical scrutiny committee of the NCSCM, which is the authorised agency of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has already deliberated the draft CZMP for greater Mumbai in November 2020, the letter added.

According to reports, the draft CZMP maps were prepared by the NCSCM under the Union environment ministry in 2019 for all coastal districts of Maharashtra. These maps were prepared based on the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms 2019 and were published last year in January.

Once the process is completed, the move is expected to make way for opening up of buffer zones around mangroves for development activities and reduction in CRZ area, where construction activity is limited. While this may be a bode well for the real estate and construction sector, the move has been criticised given the likelihood of its adverse impact on the environment.