PANAJI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Deltin Caravela to stop operations of its offshore flotel in the Mandovi, as the group does not have CRZ clearance for the activity. The tribunal has said that the activity cannot resume till the time Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance is obtained.
The Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) has been asked to assess and recover compensation for the environmental damage caused by the offshore activity taking place without the required clearances.
“The recovered amount may be utilised for restoration of the environment by preparing an action plan,” the tribunal said. tnn
Applicant Kashinath Shetye had raised the issue of requirement for CRZ clearance for the flotel to operate. The tribunal noted that, as per the CRZ notification of 2011, a clearance is needed to carry out any activity within the CRZ, which requires waterfront and foreshore facilities.
The tribunal held that the flotel falls within this category where waterfront and foreshore facilities are required for operations.
“The activities of the project proponent involve running a mobile 10-storey hotel on a ship with facilities of restaurants, entertainment, etc. In the process, navigational facilities and mooring/berthing of the ship are covered by the foreshore facilities. Thus, para 4 is clearly applicable and CRZ clearance is required,” the NGT order states.
The flotel owners had told the tribunal that it is compliant with the requirements of sewage and effluent disposal/treatment as required in a CRZ-IV area.
The tribunal, however, noted, “The permissions relied upon by the project proponent do not include CRZ clearance. If it exists, the same may be produced before the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) forthwith, as, without the same, the activity of the project proponent is not permissible.”
Shetye had earlier approached the GCZMA and the tribunal as well. The NGT has now said that both the earlier orders of the authority and the tribunal need to be modified based on this recent order, which has held that CRZ clearance is required for the flotel.
“If the operations are to be resumed, the project proponent will be required to take consents under the water and air acts from the State PCB. While granting such consents, the state PCB may incorporate appropriate regulatory conditions with regard to treatment of solid and liquid waste generated in the course of operations of the project proponent and also air emissions and other eco-environmental aspects,” the NGT said.
Shetye, in his earlier review application before the NGT, had said that the vessel was operating in CRZ-IV without requisite CRZ clearance and was hampering fishing activity . The tribunal has now noted that this ground for appeal had not been considered when hearing the earlier application.
The applicant told the tribunal that the vessel has been shifted to an area that falls under CRZ- IV zone, which is within 12 nautical miles (ie buffer zone) in the river. Shetye said there will be harm caused for breeding of fishes in the area.
“He stated that getting a ship having 10 floors and just placing it in the river and conducting commercial activities within it is not correct and there should be some regulations imposed on such activities,” the tribunal noted about the applicant’s contention.
The GCZMA had dismissed Shetye’s complaint and he had challenged the authority’s order before the NGT.
The owner of the vessel stated that the vessel operates within the Mandovi with all the necessary permits and consents required under law, that the Captain of Ports had granted it a no-objection certificate to operate, and that no prohibited activity was conducted within the CRZ area.
