S.O. 938(E), Coastal Regulation Zone Notification Amendment, 2015
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued notification number S.O. 938(E) on 31 March 2015 to amend the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011, which had already been amended five times. The amendment removes the stated deadline for submitting draft Coastal Zone Management Plans and limits the validity of previously approved plans to 31 January 2016, or until fresh plans are approved, whichever occurs first.
What the notification changes
Notification number S.O. 938(E), issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on 31 March 2015, amends the process for preparing and approving Coastal Zone Management Plans under the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011.
The Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011 had declared certain coastal stretches as Coastal Regulation Zones. It imposed restrictions on setting up and expanding industries, operations and processes within those zones.
The principal notification had previously been amended on 22 August 2013, 30 April 2014, 28 November 2014, 4 February 2015 and 17 February 2015.
Draft Coastal Zone Management Plans
Notification number S.O. 938(E) replaces the earlier requirement governing submission of draft Coastal Zone Management Plans.
Key provisions are:
- The Coastal Zone Management Authority of each State or Union territory must submit its draft Coastal Zone Management Plan to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- The authority must include its recommendations with the draft plan.
- Suggestions and objections received from stakeholders must be incorporated before submission.
- The replacement wording does not retain the earlier deadline of 30 September 2013.
The Central Government stated that States and Union territories might require more time to submit their respective draft plans for approval.
Validity of previously approved plans
Notification number S.O. 938(E) also replaces the provision dealing with Coastal Zone Management Plans already approved by the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
Those approved plans were to remain valid only until the earlier of:
- 31 January 2016, or
- approval by the Ministry of fresh Coastal Zone Management Plans prepared under the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011.
This provision replaced the earlier wording under which plans approved under the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 1991 were valid for twenty-four months unless extended through a specific notification.
Relevance to coastal property
Notification number S.O. 938(E) is relevant to owners, buyers and professionals dealing with land in coastal stretches declared as Coastal Regulation Zones. It concerns which approved Coastal Zone Management Plan remained valid while States and Union territories prepared and submitted fresh plans, but it does not remove the restrictions imposed on industries, operations and processes in Coastal Regulation Zones.
The Central Government also dispensed with the usual notice requirement for making the amendment, stating that doing so was in the public interest.
This summary is generated from the source document to help you find what is relevant. The PDF above is authoritative. For advice on your own property, use LandLens One or speak to a qualified professional.
Common questions
Did S.O. 938(E) remove Coastal Regulation Zone restrictions?
No. The notification amended provisions about submitting Coastal Zone Management Plans and the validity of approved plans. The underlying notification continued to impose restrictions on industries, operations and processes in declared Coastal Regulation Zones.
Did the amendment give States a new deadline for submitting draft plans?
No new date appears in the replacement wording. It requires the State or Union territory Coastal Zone Management Authority to submit the draft plan with recommendations after incorporating stakeholder suggestions and objections.
How long did previously approved Coastal Zone Management Plans remain valid?
They remained valid until 31 January 2016, or until the Ministry approved fresh Coastal Zone Management Plans prepared under the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011, whichever occurred first.
Could stakeholder objections be ignored when preparing a draft coastal plan?
The amended provision requires the relevant Coastal Zone Management Authority to incorporate stakeholder suggestions and objections before submitting the draft plan and its recommendations to the Ministry.
