NEW DELHI: A parliamentary panel has asked the government to keep in abeyance implementation of the Coastal Management Zone (CMZ) notification, 2008 until executive and legislative mechanisms are put in place for inclusion and integration of coastal communities through participative, decision-making and control instruments. The government should not make haste in implementing it without addressing the conflict of interests between the stakeholders — mainly fisherfolk and coastal communities — and all efforts must be made first to meet their concerns, said the Standing Committee on Science and Technology, and Environment and Forests in its report on Coastal Management Programmes, tabled in Parliament on Monday. Their concerns were "not unfounded," and must be met through education, social mobilisation and their active participation and involvement in decision-making. Panchayats can play a crucial role in generating awareness among them. For this, the government should get the CMZ notification translated into local languages and circulated widely in every village so that the local communities are made aware of the actual implications of the notification and are not swayed by hearsay or misgivings. The government may also seriously think of bringing in legislation to ensure protection of the rights of the coastal communities to coastal resources, on the lines of the one meant for forest dwellers. The committee said a common management plan for the entire coastal area of the country was not a workable proposition. It should rather be specifically designed for different States keeping in mind the diverse coastal environments and specific cultures of coastal communities. The State governments should have enough participation in formulating the Integrated Coastal Management Plan, prepared for integrated coastal management for their States. Pointing out that a large population depended on natural resources for its survival, the committee said social dimensions of livelihood security and biodiversity conservation should be pivotal to all decision-making pertaining to development or economic considerations of revenue generation.
The Hindu, 9th June, 2009
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