The logo of NITI Aayog.
Credit: X/@NITIAayog
Mumbai: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has referred to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) a strong objection from Mumbai-based environmental groups opposing a proposal to reduce India’s Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) limit from 500 metres to 200 metres.
The protest, lodged jointly by NatConnect Foundation and Sagar Shakti, urged the Prime Minister to reject a NITI Aayog panel’s recommendation to dilute the CRZ norms, calling the proposal “a disaster in the making” for coastal ecosystems.
The PMO’s grievance portal shows that the matter has been marked to the MoEFCC’s CRZ Impact Assessment Division for further examination.
A high-level committee headed by NITI Aayog member Rajiv Gauba suggested easing the 500-metre restriction from the High Tide Line (HTL), arguing that the rule was “overly restrictive” and limited small-scale tourism, fishing activities, homestays, and infrastructure projects near coastal belts, according to a report in a leading financial daily.
Environmentalists counter that such relaxation would lead to rampant construction perilously close to the shoreline. “Allowing development near the sea at a time of rising sea levels defies all logic,” said B N Kumar, Director of NatConnect Foundation. “Worldwide, cities are moving away from the coast, not towards it.”
The Indian Development Report has warned that 113 Indian cities across nine states could face partial submergence by 2050. Data presented in Parliament in June 2024 also revealed that 23.7% of Karnataka’s coastline is eroding, while 33.6% of India’s total coastline remains vulnerable, Kumar pointed out..
Kumar noted that the CRZ norms have already been diluted to permit construction up to 100 metres in tidal-influenced areas such as creeks and estuaries, despite repeated opposition from green groups. He cited a NASA report showing that global sea levels have risen 91 millimetres since 1993.
Sagar Shakti Director Nandakumar Pawar said the proposed dilution, ostensibly to support fishing communities, would in reality “open up coastal areas for unchecked real-estate expansion.”
“At a time when we should be investing in coastal protection and disaster preparedness, it is shocking that we are considering moving construction even closer to the sea,” Pawar said.
He also criticised a related NITI Aayog suggestion to reduce the mandatory green cover for industries from 33% to 10%, calling it “a reckless move that will worsen pollution and public health risks.”
Both groups appealed to the Centre to consult independent experts and coastal residents before taking any decision that could permanently endanger India’s marine ecology.