Odisha fails to monitor coastal space violation: CAG

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha was one among the nine coastal states in the country that failed to implement the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) properly and did not proactively monitor the violations in coastal space and irregular constructions in restricted CRZ zones, revealed a new CAG report.

The Auditor General observed illegal construction of a jail complex in CRZ 1A area at Bangar in Puri district. The construction was inside Balukhand-Konark wildlife sanctuary, which also has Olive Ridley Turtle nesting sites on the beach.

The CAG audit also found that the State Coastal Zone Management Authority (SCZMA) of the coastal states including Odisha did not have sufficient manpower to perform their mandate. They also lacked representation from relevant stakeholder bodies.

“The SCZMAs in most of the coastal states did not have sufficient manpower. In Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, the functions of SCZMAs were carried out by the officials of the state department of environment or the state pollution control boards,” the CAG stated. It added that in Odisha, the SCZMA functioned with one junior scientist and technical assistant without any secretarial manpower.

It further stated that the district-level committees (DLCs) having coastline were to be established to assist SCZMAs in the enforcement of the CRZ notification which was also delayed. “Both the SCZMAs and DLCs did not proactively monitor the violations in coastal space. SCZMAs did not take proactive action against the CRZ violations and in the instances where they acted upon, follow-up action was ineffective,” the CAG underlined.