Citizens stress on coastal map illiteracy

Mumbai: The public hearing on draft coastal maps of Thane and Palghar districts garnered a good response with over 250 people showing up in just two hours. The main grievance was about the lack of map literacy among people. Many people said that since maps were complicated to study and there was no proper publicity on Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) issues and demarcation by the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA), farmers and fishermen had apprehensions about their lands falling under the wrong demarcation.

Mayur Bhadsavle, a Thane-based urban architect said, “While many citizens came for the public hearing, many of them have difficulty understanding the maps. Some people are not even completely aware about the demarcations of CRZ-I, CRZ- II and CRZ- III. Thus, farmers were scared if their land was marked under CRZ-II where authorised non-agricultural activities are allowed if the farm produce is not sufficient.” It was also highlighted that the mangroves around the Thane creek, the buffer zone for the sea area, were intact but seem reduced on the landside.

While the hearing was conducted at the Thane collector’s office, citizens also highlighted that there were no officials from the MCZMA or MPCB (Maharahstra Pollution Control Board) for proper redress of their queries. Around 150 fishermen from Palghar district gathered at the Thane district collector’s office, however they said that their main objection was that the draft maps were not available in the Marathi language. “Several villagers and fishermen have come for objections since the maps could majorly impact them. However, they could not even understand it properly due to the language gap,” said Sameer Vartak, coordinator, Paryavaran Sanvardhan Samiti (PSS), a Vasai-based environment group.

Citizens said that just like the draft development plan was asserted by civic bodies and development authorities, coastal zone maps should also be given wide publicity by the state government. Meanwhile, the changes made in the demarcations were also stressed.