Pay Rs 2.5crore damages for violations on turtle nesting beaches: GCZMA
Times of India | 1 month ago
Times of India
1 month ago
Panaji: Based on its commitment to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) had formed a 3-member committee to fix environmental compensation for violations on turtle nesting beaches of Goa. The panel has now submitted its report, in which it has stated that the monetary compensation to be paid by the violators works out to Rs 2.5 crore in all. The GCZMA has accepted the committee’s report at its meeting held last month and decided to begin the work of calculating the recovery per violator based on satellite imagery. “The Authority received the report of the 3-member committee headed by Sujeet Kumar Dongre, expert member, GCZMA on February 21,” the GCZMA said. In brief, the committee has come to a finding that the environmental compensation works out to be Rs 2,59,6174 crore, per hectare per year, which translates to Rs 2,590 per sq mt per year,” the GCZMA noted. After presentation of the report by the committee members, the GCZMA resolved to accept the report. The cases of violation on the turtle nesting beaches include alteration of natural landscape, erection of temporary or permanent structures, landscaping by removing native vegetation, flattening of sand dunes, change in native vegetation composition, construction of swimming pool, among others. “The Authority resolved to carry out exercise of calculation of fines based on area damaged, calculating difference in land use change in square meter by satellite imagery (from the year the violation was noticed) along with field verification on a case-to-case basis so that compensation can be recovered from the violators,” the GCZMA said. With respect to the sound and light pollution, an additional fine will be levied using polluter pay principle with assistance from the Goa State Pollution Board, the GCZMA has said. Goa Paryavaran Savrakshan Sangharsh Samitee had sought that the regulations should be enforced to restrict activities on the four Olive Ridley turtle nesting beaches in Goa at Morjim, Mandrem, Galgibaga and Agonda, including provisions to fine the violators. The Samitee had approached the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the matter of fixing appropriate environmental compensation to be recovered from violators for the damage caused. The recovery of Rs 2 lakh earlier from the violator was seen as inadequate as against the damages caused.
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