National Coastal Zone Management Committee

The Ministry of Environment & Forests in exercise of the powers conferred on it by clause (d) of sub-rule 3 of Rule 5 of the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1996 issued the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification vide S.O.No.114 (E) dated February 19, 1991.

By this notification, the Central Government declared the coastal stretches of seas, bays, estuaries, creeks, rivers and backwaters which are influenced by tidal action (on the landward side) upto 500m from High Tide Line (HTL) and the land between Low Tide Line (LTL) and HTL as Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ). For regulating development activities, the Coastal Regulation Zone is classified into four categories namely, CRZ- I, CRZ-II, CRZ-III & CRZ-IV.

Para-4 of the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 1991 mentions the procedure for monitoring and enforcement of the Notification. The Ministry of Environment & Forests and the Government of States or Union Territories and such other authorities at the State or Union Territory levels, as may be designated for this purpose, have been made responsible for monitoring and enforcement of the provisions of this Notification within their respective jurisdictions.

The Ministry of Environment & Forests, as per the procedure for monitoring and enforcement mentioned in para 4 of the CRZ Notification, hereby constitute a National Coastal Zone Management Committee (NCZMC) to advise the Central Government on Policy Planning and to monitor the effective enforcement of the provisions of Coastal Regulation Zone Notification by concerned States / Union Territories.

The composition of the National Coastal Zone Management Committee is given below :-

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(i)    Additional Secretary  (IA), Ministry of Environment & Forests                    Chairman

(ii)   Chief Town Planner, Ministry of Urban Affairs & Employment, New Delhi            Member

(iii)  Director General (Tourism), Ministry of Tourism                                  Member

(iv)   Fisheries Development Commissioner, Ministry of Agriculture, New Delhi           Member

(v)    Joint Secretary (Ports), Ministry of Surface Transport, New Delhi                Member

(vi)   Director, National Institute of Oceanography, Panjim, Goa                        Member

(vii)  Director, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin                    Member

(viii) Father Thomas Kocherry, Chairman, All India Fishermen s  Federation              Member
       41-1771, Veeleshanam Road, Cochin - 682018

(ix)   Shri Bal Mane, President, Ratnagiri District Fishermen s Association             Member
       Ratnagiri, Maharashtra        

(x)    Shri Shiva Kashinath Naik, Sarpanch, Shioroda Kerwadi, Tehsil Vengurla           Member
       District Sindhudurg, Maharashtra        

(xi)   Shri Rajaram Gadhekar, Mukteshwar Sansthan, Apoogaon, Malad (West), Mumbai       Member    

(xii)  Director, Ministry of Environment & Forests, New Delhi                           Member Secretary
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The Committee shall perform the following functions :-

To advise the Ministry on policy planning and monitoring the enforcement of the provisions of the CRZ Notification of 1991 (as amended from time to time) by the State / Union Territory Governments.
The Committee shall also advise the State / Union Territory Governments on matters pertaining to the enforcement of the provisions of CRZ Notification.
To advise MOEF on matters relevant to protection and control of pollution in coastal areas.
To liase with and coordinate activities of State Coastal Zone Management Authorities / committees and to provide them technical assistance and guidance.
To examine the proposals for changes / modifications in classification of CRZ areas and in Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) received from Coastal States / Union Territories and submit its recommendations to MOEF for decision.
To review cases involving the violations of the provisions of CRZ Notification and to enquire into complaints received on specific issues pertaining to CRZ.
To review recommendations of State Level Committees set up under Chairmanship of respective Chief Secretaries for delineation of certain areas in CRZ-II category.
The proposed committee or a sub-committee of this committee will undertake site-inspections to verify the facts concerning the issues related to CRZ areas wherever necessary.

(The term of the National Coastal Zone Management Committee is for a period of one year or till further orders.)