Reduce no development zone to 100m: ParulekarTNN | Jan 18, 2015,
Panaji: In a controversial move, the Goa government has sought to reduce the no development zone (NDZ) line in the CRZ notification to 100 metres instead of the present 200 metres from the high tide line (HTL) to allow for "development of tourism infrastructure along the beach". Goa tourism minister Dilip Parulekar in a letter has requested Union tourism minister Mahesh Sharma as a follow up to his recent meeting explaining that the present NDZ has left large stretches of land unutilized along Goa's 105-km long coastline. He explained that prior to independence, the NDZ was defined as 90 metres from the HTL. Also, the Swaminathan committee report has recommended review of the blanket NDZ provision in the CRZ notification, Parulekar said, adding that in some foreign tourist destinations like Maldives and Thailand, "construction of hotel properties is permitted in lagoons and within the continental shelf area." Parulekar has also requested that the CRZ provision which forbids cooking of food on the beach be reviewed. Requesting for central financial assistance under different schemes of the tourism ministry, Parulekar has proposed that pending utilization certificates may be adjusted against future installments which Goa is eligible to receive. Speaking to the media, GTDC chairman Nilesh Cabral, said that Goa has to return Rs 14-crore in unutilized funds to the Centre. These funds were received by the previous Congress government, Cabral said. Parulekar has also requested for central financial assistance for marketing and promotion activities in tourism. He pointed out that in 2013-14, Goa received 93% of the charter flights to India. Parulekar has asked for provision for direct incentives for charter operators that maintain a high load factor and bring in additional flights. Such practices are followed by countries like Egypt, Parulekar said, adding, "Such an incentive is required very urgently as this year alone there has been a drop in charter arrivals in Goa by almost 40%". The tourism minister has also urged that countries like UK, China, Poland, France, Portugal, Czech Republic and all Scandinavian and CIS countries be allowed the e-visa facility. He has also requested the e-visa fees be reduced. Parulekar sought for separate immigration counters at Dabolim airport for handling e-visa arrivals to reduce the processing time.
