Goa: Coastal body approves pvt jetty near bird sanctuary after forest dept nod

PANAJI: The Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) has approved the erection of a wooden jetty at Madel, Chorao for a private estate, near the Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary.
The authority’s nod comes after the forest department which it had approached for advice due to the proximity of the jetty to the sanctuary declared that it had no objection to the structure. However, permission has been given on the condition that the Captain of Ports also approves of the project.
Last November, during an inspection of the site of the proposed jetty, an expert member of the GCZMA had observed that it was located close to the Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, with there being “established mangrove patch” on both sides. A representative of the estate told the expert member that the jetty would be used only to anchor boats and not for any commercial activities. The official was also informed that only wood would be used for construction.
In a report to the GCZMA, the expert member had stated, “The proposed jetty is close to Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary. The sanctuary is a habitat for varieties of aquatic and terrestrial life.”
According to the minutes of the GCZMA meeting on March 18, the authority had noted that in addition to the proposed jetty’s proximity to the Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, biodiversity including crocodile habitats, khazan lands, and mangroves existed next to the site. The authority therefore decided to obtain inputs from the forest department on the exact radial distance of the site from the bird sanctuary’s boundary and also whether a rapid environment impact assessment (EIA) was required to be conducted.
In May, the deputy conservator of forests, Panaji, told the GCZMA that the proposed site of the jetty in the Mandovi river “is away from the boundary of Dr Salim Ali sanctuary at a distance of 1km and construction of wooden jetty at said location will not harm the interest of the sanctuary”.
“It is not in the eco-sensitive zone of Dr Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary. Hence, the department has no objection to the said jetty,” the forest department stated in a letter to the GCZMA.