Context:
Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal has directed to halt Chennai Shoreline Renourishment and Revitalization Project (includes cycle track, food court, etc.) in the CRZ II zone, where such activities are prohibited.
Chennai Shoreline Renourishment and Revitalization Project aims to get Blue Flag certification for beaches.
About Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ):
- CRZ notification, 1991 issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.
- Replaced later by the CRZ Notification, 2011 (reviewed by Shailesh Nayak Committee) and CRZ Notification, 2019.
- CRZ Notification, 2019 requires states to update Coastal Zone Management Plans (CZMPs) created as per the 2011 notification.
- Institutional Mechanism –
- National Coastal Zone Management Authority (NCZMA) at the Union.
- State/Union Territory Coastal Zone Management Authorities (SCZMAs/ UTCZMAs) in every coastal State/UT
- District Level Committees (DLCs) in every district that has a coastal stretch
Classification of CRZs:
| CRZ Category | Description |
| CRZ-IA | Ecologically Sensitive Areas like Mangroves, Salt Marshes, etc. |
| CRZ-IB | Intertidal zone i.e. area between Low Tide Line and High Tide Line. |
| CRZ-II | Constitute the developed land areas up to or close to the shoreline, within the existing municipal limits or in other existing legally designated urban areas. |
| CRZ-III | Land areas that are relatively undisturbed (viz. rural areas, etc.) and those which do not fall under CRZ-II. |
| CRZ-IVA | Area between Low Tide Line up to 12 nautical miles on the seaward side. |
| CRZ-IVB | Applicable on Tidal influenced water bodies. |
Source: The Hindu
Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements:
Once the Central Government notifies an area as a ‘Community Reserve’
1. the Chief Wildlife Warden of the State becomes the governing authority of such forest
2. hunting is not allowed in such area
3. people in such areas are allowed to collect non-timber forest produce
4. people of such areas are allowed traditional agricultural practices
How many of the above statements are correct?
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2023 Prelims]
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) Only three
(d) All four
Answer: (c)
Explanation:
Statement 4 is not correct:
Community Reserve is meant for the conservation of wildlife and their habitat, and these activities may be restricted if they pose a threat to the conservation objectives.
