NT Reporter
Panaji
The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) has placed on record the Sea Turtle Nesting and Habitat Management Plan for the beaches of Mandrem, Morjim, Agonda and Galgibaga before the High Court of Bombay at Goa.
During the hearing of a public interest litigation concerning disturbances at sea turtle nesting sites in Goa, the GCZMA informed the court that the Goa Sea Turtle Nesting and Habitat Management Plan for the four traditional nesting sites had been finalised.
Accepting the GCZMA’s statement, the High Court directed the authority to
notify the plan in the official gazette.
The High Court said, “The GCZMA should place on record the notification. This plan has been notified on the website of the GCZMA. The Member Secretary of GCZMA is directed to notify this plan in the official gazette, such that the public is made aware of the same.”
The GCZMA said that the conservation plan had already been uploaded on its official website. However, the bench observed that publication on the website alone does not satisfy the requirement of public notice and held that formal notification in the Official Gazette is necessary to ensure public awareness and legal effect.
The management plan lays down measures to regulate beach development and protect sea turtle
nesting habitats. It also provides guidelines for beach shacks and lighting to minimise disturbance to turtles and requires systematic record-keeping of turtle nesting activities across
the state.
In a separate tagged PIL seeking declaration of Vagator as a protected turtle nesting site, the Goa government has not yet taken
a position.
