Authority set up to protect coastal environment

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New Delhi: The Union Environment Forest and Climate Change Ministry has constituted the Odisha Coastal Zone Management Authority to protect and improve quality of the coastal environment and also control environment pollution in the coastal area of the state.
The authority has 14 members from various departments of the state and Centre and the additional chief secretary of environment and forest department has been appointed as the ex-officio chairman. The authority has been appointed for a period of three years.
According to the MoEF, the authority will regulate all developmental and construction activities in the coastal regulation zone areas. The authority will examine the applications for approval of project proposals if these are in accordance with the approved coastal zone management plan and within the requirements of the coastal regulation zone notification issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in January, 2011.
The authority will make recommendations for approval of such projects to the MoEF or State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority within a period of 60 days from the date of receipt of such applications.
The authority will also examine the proposals received from the state government for changes or modifications in the classification of Coastal Regulation Zone areas and make specific recommendations to the National Coastal Zone Management Authority.
The member of the authority, Professor Rabindra Nath Hota of Utkal University, said, “We are getting applications for the construction from the state government and private players. We will examine if that is permissible as per the coastal zone regulation notification and accordingly give recommendations.”
Notably, the Union government in a notification in January 2011 had declared the coastal stretches of the country and the water area up to its territorial water limit as Coastal Regulation Zone and restricted the setting up and expansion of any industry and manufacture or disposal of hazardous substances with a view to conserve and protect coastal stretches and its unique environment.
Earlier, the National Green Tribunal had directed the coastal states to prepare the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) after hearing a petition filed by fisherman Mehdad seeking an expeditious framing of CZMP for different states.