Govt legalises beach shacks in coastal regulation zones

The Union Environment Ministry has legalised the functioning of beach shacks and allowed the removal of sand bars by the local communities but decided against exploratory drilling for oil and natural gas in coastal regulation zones (CRZ) without prior approval.

The decisions are part of an amendment to the Island Coastal Zone Regulation, notified by the ministry earlier this week, plugging some loopholes in the existing law.

Beach shacks, for instance, were a part of the CRZ notification of 2011 but were inadvertently missed out in the CRZ 2019 when the rules were updated. The amendment restores the status of such shacks that dot the beaches in Goa and opens up the possibility of establishing similar shacks in other coastal states.

The shacks, however, are not to operate in monsoon months. The notification makes it clear that “purely temporary and seasonal structures (e.g. shacks)” can be put up during non-monsoon months, provided that the facilities available in these structures shall remain non-operational during monsoon months.

While all states were on board with beach shacks during the consultation process, Maharashtra and Goa insisted on having the four-month break during the monsoon.

The environment ministry decided not to allow exploratory drilling of the oil and natural gas without prior approval, even though the National Coastal Zone Management Authority gave its nod for such an exemption. The ministry retained the CRZ 2011 provision of seeking prior approval.

Coastal land up to 500 metres from the high-tide line and a stage of 100m along banks of creeks, estuaries, backwaters and rivers is called a CRZ. The CRZ rules regulate activities in such areas to protect fragile ecosystems.

The new notification also allows the removal of sandbars in the intertidal areas by traditional coastal communities, but only through a non-mechanised manual method.

Also, state authorities have been allowed to take decisions on small local infrastructures like standalone jetties, breakwaters, groynes, salt works, slipways and manual erosion control bunds.