Coastal norms must address Konkan’s needs: Chavan

MUMBAI - The revised Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) guidelines, which will be announced by the union environment ministry in two weeks, must address the concerns of the Konkan region, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said Sunday.

“Fishing and tourism are the two important aspects of Konkan’s development and if the CRZ rules put restrictions on infrastructure creation in these two sectors, it will be injustice to the people,” Chavan said while inaugurating the National Fish Festival in suburban Bandra.

He pointed out that the need to preserve and protect the environment should not override building and strengthening of infrastructure facilities for fishing, like cold storages and minor ports.

“I will personally look into these issues and if the revised CRZ guidelines do not address the Konkan”s concerns, I will take up the matter with the Union Environment Ministry,” Chavan said.

The current coastal norms ban construction activities near the seashore and marine habitats to protect the coast from environmental degradation.

Chavan also expressed concern over the declining fish production in Maharashtra, saying that the state has fallen behind other states.

“There are 2.86 lakh fishermen in Maharashtra and the total fish production is 3.60 lakh tonne, 13.5 per cent of the national output,” he said, noting that Maharashtra has fallen behind Gujarat, Kerala and West Bengal in terms of fish production.