<p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>The PMO’s grievance portal shows that the matter has been marked to the MoEFCC’s CRZ Impact Assessment Division for further examination.</p><p>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.</p>.'NITI Aayog’s move to cut CRZ to 200 m dangerous': Greens urge Narendra Modi to reject recommendation.<p>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.”</p><p>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..</p><p>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.</p>.<p>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.”</p><p>“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.</p><p>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.”</p><p>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.</p>
<p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>The PMO’s grievance portal shows that the matter has been marked to the MoEFCC’s CRZ Impact Assessment Division for further examination.</p><p>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.</p>.'NITI Aayog’s move to cut CRZ to 200 m dangerous': Greens urge Narendra Modi to reject recommendation.<p>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.”</p><p>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..</p><p>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.</p>.<p>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.”</p><p>“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.</p><p>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.”</p><p>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.</p>