Rampant development along the Indian coast is changing its very shape. In different states, anywhere between half and 20 square kilometres of land has disappeared due to erosion in the last 25 years, according to a new study conducted by the Indian Space Research Organisation and the Central Water Commission. Tamil Nadu, on the other hand, has gained land by sediment accretion along its coast. Much of this change has been driven by sand mining, removal of sand dunes, uprooting of mangroves, filling salt pans, discharging effluents and, of course, construction in the coastal zone.

Despite chaotic activity along the coast, coastal zone regulators across the nine maritime states have little money, few human resources and minimal support from other government bodies to enforce rules that protect India’s coastline from encroachment and erosion.

A recent report from the Centre for Policy Research and the Namati Environmental Justice Programme reveals that there is no consistency among the various State Coastal Zone Management Authorities in following up on projects to ensure that they don’t violate regulations and in penalising offenders. State Coastal Zone Management Authorities are entrusted with clearing projects within 500 metres of the coastline. Not only are these authorities hard-pressed for time to appraise projects along 5,500 kilometres of the mainland coast but they are also ineffective when it comes to post-clearance monitoring.

The inconsistencies begin at the state authorities’ willingness to even look into compliance. The report, which was prepared after an analysis of the minutes of 350 meetings of the national and state-level coastal authorities over two decades, shows how many times violations were discussed.


What happens after violations are discussed in a meeting often remains a mystery, said Meenakshi Kapoor, programme manager at the research organisation and one of the authors of the report. “This is a big black hole into which everything goes and we don’t know what happens after that.”

Kapoor said that the Coastal Zone Regulations bestow the same terms of reference on each of the nine of state authorities. In its 1998 orders constituting the State Coastal Zone Management Authorities, the Ministry of Environment and Forest outlined their tasks to involve inquiry into alleged violations, review of cases involving violations and referring cases to the National Coastal Zone Management Authority.

Yet the nine view their roles very differently when it comes to enforcement and compliance. “On one hand you have Odisha which says we don’t have power to take care of violations,” she said. “On the other hand you have Goa, which tries all manner of things including reaching out to the electricity department, panchayats and the pollution control board and creating demolition squads to take care of demolition of violating structures.”

No follow-up

Former member of the Odisha State Coastal Zone Management Authority Mangaraj Panda described his observation of proceedings. A violation that came to the authority’s notice would be sent to district level authorities for verification and follow-up action. “Over the last three to four years, a number of cases have been pending with the district authorities. Enforcement is minimal and there is no follow up.”

Panda blames it on the lack of manpower and money. “Whatever money there is is not even enough to conduct meetings,” he joked.

Apart from this, local departments often block the authorities out in taking action against violations. “They say that they don’t have the mandate to work as per what the CZMA has asked them to do,” Kapoor said. “Sometimes these power dynamics come into play among officers.”

Often the departments themselves are the culprits.

A third reason why enforcement is not a priority for the state authorities is political interference. “If they want they can have follow up visits and monitor the sites but it needs willpower,” said Panda. “If the government or any politician is involved then this doesn’t happen.”