The state must activate its machinery to clamp down on all CRZ violations
Goa’s battle to protect its ecologically fragile coastline has reached a critical juncture. As the state grapples with a surge in Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) violations—evident from the 826 complaints filed between 2020 and 2024—the judiciary is playing a significant role in protecting the coastal zone from illegalities. While the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) struggles to enforce norms, recent High Court directives and National Green Tribunal (NGT) rulings expose a troubling pattern of bureaucratic inertia and non-eco-friendly governance.
With the state machinery virtually ineffective, the High Court of Bombay at Goa has emerged as a pivotal force in curbing CRZ violations. In June 2023, it directed the Anjuna panchayat to issue notices to 175 structures in Vagator and Anjuna, demanding proof of construction licenses within five days or face demolition. Similarly, in Arambol, the HC intervened to seal a ground-plus-four-story illegal structure in a CRZ-III zone, leading to a Rs 77.9 lakh penalty for environmental damage. The NGT has also played a critical role. In 2021, it mandated the GCZMA to create an “annual inventory of CRZ structures” through independent surveys and establish a monitoring mechanism to avoid selective enforcement.
In response to these judicial directives, a former Chief Secretary issued an order to the GCZMA, outlining a series of remedial measures aimed at streamlining operations and ensuring timely action. These measures aim to rectify the identified shortcomings within the GCZMA, ensuring more effective enforcement of CRZ regulations. Three years have passed and still the GCZMA is preparing the inventory.
But the GCZMA’s efforts to curb these violations are hindered by several systemic issues: Many cases become mired in prolonged legal battles, as violators contest CRZ notices in court, delaying enforcement for years; a significant shortage of manpower within CRZ departments hampers timely inspections and follow-up; coordination between local panchayats, the tourism department, and environmental bodies is often sluggish, leading to procedural delays, etc. Without annual surveys, violations in hotspots such as Bardez and Pernem escape scrutiny until irreversible damage occurs. There were cases in the past when the government authorities had delayed
executing demolition orders.
The GCZMA must complete exercises creating a “dynamic inventory” of structures in CRZ and conduct annual audits to preempt violations. Delays in the coastal plan, now postponed to 2025, must end to align enforcement with the 2019 CRZ Notification. A centralised task force involving GCZMA, panchayats, and the tourism department could streamline demolitions and penalties.
Sources in the know say that several of the CRZ violations are related to tourism activities. Recently, there has been a clampdown on shacks over subletting. For this, the shack owners have criticised the government for targeting Goan entrepreneurs and ignoring those committed by big sharks. A former shack operator said that the violations done by some hotels and other tourism-related businesses along the coastal belt are never spoken about publicly by the government. It is crucial that all violations be dealt with equally, as it sends the clear message that the state is serious about enforcing rules and not carrying out partial crackdowns as eyewash. It’s thanks to the courts for coming down heavily on the authorities for inaction vis-à-vis CRZ violations. Law must take its own course, and all illegalities, including those allegedly done by persons having top bureaucratic and political connections, must be acted upon—whether it’s a shack, hotel, pub, etc.
