Environmentalists challenge the CRZ Act

The Green Arbitrator accepted the petition

Mumbai, 1st: The National Green Tribunal today accepted the challenge by the Van Shakti Institute to the provisions of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification 2019. The arbitrator accepted the arguments of Van Shakti's advocate Aakash Rebello. After this, the arbitrator issued a notice to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests for a detailed reply on the petition.

The new rules of CRZ were challenged by Van Shakti in the High Court in 2019, as per the court's order, the petition was referred to the Green Tribunal. But the petition was pending. Due to the new regulations issued by the government, there is a threat to protected beaches and vegetation, said the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 2019 by issuing CRZ notification and issued new regulations. Van Shakti challenged this new constitutional legitimacy. The next hearing on the petitions has been fixed on January 31st.

In 1981, the then government had decided to ban construction up to 500 meters from its line extending landward from the highest height of the new moon or full moon, but in 2011, the government in a new notification of 'CRZ' reduced the limit in the tidal area from 500 meters to 200 meters and in the bay area to 100 meters. But in the new notification of 2019, this limit has been brought down from 100 meters to 50 meters.

The impact of the new regulations

1 The new CRZ rules will reduce the protection of not only Mumbai, but the coastal areas of the country. There is also a fear that the limit of the protected area under the sea will decrease.

2 In many cases the need for an Environmental Impact Assessment Report will no longer be required, and the protection afforded to mangroves has been reduced.

3 As FSI was increased in CRZ areas, the special protection given to traditional fishermen was removed.

CRZ in Mumbai: The legal authority now rests with the state government’s urban development department, instead of with the centre. Therefore, there is a fear that the coastline will be destroyed in the name of development. Stalin D., Director, Forestry Institute, said, ‘the Green Arbitrator's acceptance of our pending petition against this has boosted our confidence.’