NGT stays public hearings on revised coastal zone maps

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Bench in Chennai has stayed the public hearing scheduled by the Puducherry Coastal Zone Management Authority for Wednesday in Puducherry, and on Thursday in Karaikal, to evolve a new Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) map.

The Bench comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana, Judicial Member and Satyagopal Korlapati, Expert Member, which was hearing a petition by N. Malayalathan, stayed the hearing until further orders after ascertaining that the authorities had not done ground truthing for the ecologically sensitive areas.

The petitioner had pointed out several omissions and sought for certain corrections to be incorporated in the draft CZMP Map before they go for public hearing and publishing the same. He also contended that the Revised Coastal Zone Management Plan Maps uploaded by the Puducherry CZMA for the purpose of public hearing was incomplete and inchoate.

The order noted that the status report for the Puducherry CZMA furnished by the authorities clearly mentioned that they have only followed the database, as per the CRZ Notification, 2011 and High Tide Lines, Low Tide Lines and Ecologically Sensitive Areas provided by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Chennai. “Admittedly, the Puducherry CZMA has not done the ground truthing either by themselves or through the NCSCM”, the order stated.

The matter has been posted for November 28.

Published - November 05, 2024 09:09 pm IST