Latest news with #NCSCM
Time of India
2 days ago
- General
- Time of India
NCSCM confirms only 50m Coastal Regulation Zone buffer applies to Palk Bay coastline
's National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) confirmed that only a 50-metre Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) buffer applies to the Palk Bay coastline—not 500 metres as claimed by a petitioner. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This means that development controls along the coastline could ease significantly. Petitioner Arul Raj, a Ramanathapuram resident, sought directions to quash draft CZMP map numbers TN 44 to 60, arguing that Palk Bay was part of the sea and should therefore be subjected to a 500-metre CRZ as per the 2019 Notification. Filed before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), NCSCM's submission draws on the CRZ Notification, 2019, and official hydrographic charts to classify Palk Bay as a tidal-influenced water body. Under the notification, such water bodies attract only a 50m buffer from the High Tide Line (HTL), not the broader 500m applicable to open sea stretches. This interpretation reaffirms that only a smaller stretch of coastal land is subject to regulation, potentially opening up more area in Ramanathapuram and Pudukkottai districts for fishing infrastructure, tourism, and livelihood-based development. "While it could unlock economic opportunities along the southern coast, it also raises the possibility of increased ecological pressure in the absence of proper safeguards," said B Raja, an environmental activist. Following the Tribunal's direction, NCSCM conducted ground-truthing on March 15, 2025, across 20 coastal sites from Rameswaram to Manamelkudi. Scientists used handheld GPS devices to verify the presence of mangroves, salt marshes, and fisheries-related structures depicted in the draft CZMP maps. The petitioner based his claim on light blue shading in the draft maps, interpreting it as a 500-metre CRZ zone. NCSCM clarified that the colour was a draft-level visual error—not a legal demarcation. It added that the maps would be corrected if such errors were pointed out during public consultations. The Tribunal is scheduled to hear the matter on July 17. Email your feedback with name and address to MSID:: 121937674 413 |
Deccan Herald
12-06-2025
- General
- Deccan Herald
Centre takes up CIDCO Lotus Lake burial with State Env Dept as greens raise alarm
Lotus Lake is part of the 564 wetlands inspected and documented by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) under the state government's mandate, preparatory for the long-pending notification of the wetlands, Kumar said, quoting information received by him under the RTI Act.
Hindustan Times
31-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Pending coastal maps delay 20 infra projects
Mumbai: As many as 20 infrastructure projects along the Konkan coastline including three passenger jetties in Thane and one in Mulund are stuck due to delays in issuance of Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) maps by the Chennai-based National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM). The state government has been awaiting maps from the agency for six months to a year in some cases, which has pushed up project costs significantly. Ports minister Nitesh Rane has raised the issue with union environment minister Bhupendra Yadav and the minister has directed the agency to issue the maps within a month. NCSCM is an autonomous research institute under the ministry of environment, forest and climate change. Eleven of the 20 proposed projects with a cumulative cost of ₹190.9 crore are located in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The remaining nine projects with a cumulative cost of ₹58.40 crore are located in Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts. The delay in execution of the 20 projects due to pending CZMP maps was raised during a recent meeting of the ports department. The state government has paid the fees for the maps to NCSCM, but has been awaiting the maps for more than six months up to a year, officials said during the meeting. They also pointed out that last year, the central government withdrew around ₹220 crore from the funds given to the state government for development of port infrastructure as the money could not be utilised due to delays in project execution. On May 28, ports minister Nitesh Rane wrote to union environment minister Bhupendra Yadav regarding the delay in issuance of maps by NCSCM. 'Without CZMP maps, it is not possible to apply for Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) and environmental clearance. Presently, NCSCM Chennai is taking about a year for preparation of maps, which is delaying CRZ and environmental clearance, and in turn delaying the execution of projects escalating project costs too,' Rane stated in the letter, urging the union minister to direct mapping agency to issue the maps within a month. 'I met the union minister personally and informed him about the projects which were delayed due to pending CZMP maps,' Rane told Hindustan Times. 'He called officials at the institute at Chennai immediately and ordered them to resolve the issue in a speedy manner.' Following Yadav's intervention, the state government had a meeting with NCSCM officials over video-conferencing to resolve the issue, said Rane. HT reached out to NCSCM for comments, but did not receive any response from the agency. Environmental activist D Stalin said CZMP maps are crucial to protecting the coastal ecology. 'The concept of ex post facto clearances has been struck down by the Supreme Court, so now, projects cannot commence without prior approval,' he said. 'Pressuring scientific agencies to finalise the maps hurriedly in a haphazard manner would only create further conflict before the judiciary.' Maharashtra has the maximum number of CRZ violations including due to fabrication of maps, he said, adding, 'This cannot continue.'
