Full Text
REGD. No. D. L.-33004/99
The Gazette of India
CG-DL-E-28072025-265029
EXTRAORDINARY
PART II-Section 3-Sub-section (ii)
PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY
No. 3384]
NEW DELHI, FRIDAY, JULY 25, 2025/SHRAVANA 3, 1947
MINISTRY OF FISHERIES, ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND DAIRYING
(Department of Fisheries)
NOTIFICATION
New Delhi, the 24th July, 2025
S.O. 3461(E). In pursuance of section 3 of the Coastal Aquaculture Authority Act, 2005 (24 of 2005), read
with clause (r) of rule 3 of the Coastal Aquaculture Authority Rules, 2024, the Central Government hereby makes the
following guidelines for the assessment of cost for the damage, injury or loss to environment and cost of demolition and
utilisation of environment monitoring fund, namely:-
1. Short title and commencement. - (1) These guidelines may be called the Assessment of Cost for the Damage
to Environment and Cost of Demolition and Utilisation of Environment Monitoring Fund Guidelines, 2025.
(2) They shall come into force from the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.
2. Public Grievances.- (1) If any coastal aquaculture unit causes pollution to the coastal environment, any person
may file a written complaint specifying details of the unit and nature of pollution caused by the unit to the Sub-
Divisional Level Committee or District Level Committee concerned or the Authority.
(2) On receipt of the complaint under sub-paragraph (1), the concerned Sub-Divisional Level Committee or
District Level Committee concerned or the person authorised by the Authority shall conduct preliminary enquiry
and submit the field report to the Authority for further action.
(3) (a) The Authority, based on the report from Sub-Divisional Level Committee or District Level Committee
concerned or the person authorised by the Authority shall issue a show-cause notice to the operator of the unit,
indicating the nature of the contravention alleged to have been committeed.
(b) The unit operator shall submit its explanation to the Authority within a period of fifteen days from the date of
receipt of such show cause notice.
(4) If the Authority is not satisfied with the explanation of the operator, it shall refer the matter to the
Environmental Monitoring Committee constituted under paragraph 3 for further action.
3. Constitution of Environmental Monitoring Committee.- There shall be an Environmental Monitoring
Committee shall constituted in every coastal district, consisting of the following members, ex-officio, namely:
(a) District Collector and Chairperson, District Level Committee : Chairperson;
(b) District Revenue Officer or Revenue Divisional Officer
: Member;
(c) District Environmental Engineer, Pollution Control Board
: Member;
(d) District Agriculture Officer
: Member;
(e) District Head of Irrigation or Water Resources
: Member;
(f) Chief Executive Officer of Zila Parishad or equivalent
: Member;
(g) Any other officer or expert co-opted by the Chairman
: Member;
(h) Officer authorized under CAA Act
: Member;
(i) District Head of Fisheries Department
: Member Convener.
4. Functions and powers of Environmental Monitoring Committee.- (1) The Environmental Monitoring
Committee shall inspect the coastal aquaculture unit and review the activity on receipt of the report of the Sub-
Divisional Level Committee or District Level Committee or the person authorised by the Authority that cause
pollution and damage to environment.
(2) On establishment of the damage to the environment, the Environmental Monitoring Committee shall depute
officers from the Engineering Department or such other departments, as decided by the Chairperson of the
Committee for the purpose of assessment of damage to the coastal environment, cost of demolition of coastal
aquaculture units or activities that are polluting the coastal environment and submit report of the assessment to
the Committee.
(3) On receipt of the report of assessment under sub-paragraph (2), the Committee shall approve the report and
issue a notice to the polluting unit in Form R-1 through electronic medium or by Speed post or by registered post
providing the details of the damage, injury or loss caused to the coastal environment, the cost arrived for it and
the cost of demolition of the unit or the activities payable by the operator of such polluting unit or activity under
intimation to the Authority and the District Level Committee concerned.
(4) The polluter shall bear the cost of the damage or loss of injury so caused.
(5) The Committee shall recommend to the Authority as to the manner in which the cost paid under this paragraph
towards damage, injury or loss caused to the coastal environment or the cost recovered for removal or demolition
of such unit or activity shall be utilized.
5. Procedure for assessment of cost of damage to the coastal environment and removal or demolition of
unit.- (1) While preparing the assessment report, the officers authorised under sub-paragraph (2) of paragraph 4
shall take into account the technical parameters regarding the damage, injury or loss caused to the coastal
environment and the cost of the injury, damage or loss caused to the coastal environment by considering the
following resources, namely:-
(a) watercourses in the vicinity;
(b) ground water quality;
(c) water quality of the resources;
(d) drinking water sources;
(e) any other resources as observed by the officers inspected.
(2) The authorised officers shall assess the cost of demolition of the unit or activity by following the technical
parameters such as topography, soil texture, volume and quantity of work to be done for demolition, mode of
execution, manual or mechanical cost, other engineering aspects and arrive at the cost based on the schedule
of rates of the Central Public Work Department or the State Public Works Department.
(3) On assessment of the cost of damage to the coastal environment, cost of collection and analysis of sample
and the cost of demolition of the unit or activity, the officers authorised shall submit the detailed estimate to
the Environmental Monitoring Committee within fifteen days from the date of field inspection for onward
communication to the concerned operator of the unit or activity for payment of cost accordingly.
(4) The operator of the unit or activity shall also be liable for the payment of penalty under section 14 of Coastal
Aquaculture Authority Act, 2005 including the cost of collection and testing of samples as communicated by
the Environmental Monitoring Committee.
6. Payment of cost by the operator of unit or activity.- On receipt of notice from the Environmental
Monitoring Committee issued under sub-paragraph (3) of paragraph 4, the operator of the unit or activity shall
comply with the following, namely:-
(a) stop the operation of the unit or activity if so directed, from the date of receipt of notice;
(b) pay the cost of damage, injury or loss, cost of removal or demolition of the unit or activity or cost
of collection and testing of samples as communicated by the Environmental Monitoring Committee
within thirty days from the date of receipt of notice to the Authority through Demand Draft in favour
of the Coastal Aquaculture Authority payable at Chennai or through electronic means under
intimation to the Environmental Monitoring Committee and the District Level Committee;
(c) if the operator of the unit or activity fails to pay the cost of demolition of the unit or activity or cost
of collection and analysis of sample or cost of damage to the costal environment as communicated
by the Committee within the stipulated period, such cost shall be recoverable as an arrear of land
revenue under section 22A of the Coastal Aquaculture Authority Act, 2005;
(d) the District Collector or Chairman of the District Level Committee shall initiate the action to recover
the cost from the operator and deposit in the amount into the account of Coastal Aquaculture
Authority through Demand Draft in favour of the Authority or through electronic means.
7. Conditions for removal or demolition of coastal aquaculture unit or activity.- The officer
authorised by the Authority shall cause the removal or demolition of any unit or activity or structure causing
damage to the environment as ordered by the Coastal Aquaculture Authority as per rule 7 of Coastal
Aquaculture Authority Rules, 2024, and subject to the following conditions, namely,:-
(a) issuance of a notice at least twenty-four hours in advance to the unit operator concerned,
intimating the owner about the decisions of the Authority for the removal or demolition of the
unit or activity or structure, provided that the Authority may waive the requirement of the notice
in such cases as it thinks fit for specific reasons to be recorded in writing;
(b) the removal or demolition of the unit or the activity shall be carried out in the presence of the
owner or his representative;
(c) removal or demolition of structures shall be conducted preferably during the daytime;
(d) the procedure as specified in the Coastal Aquaculture Authority Regulations, 2008 shall be
followed for the collection of samples of water, soil, aquaculture inputs, and farmed animals to
detect prohibited antibiotics and other active compounds.
8. Utilisation of amount received towards cost of demolition of unit or activity.- (1) The money from
the account of the Authority shall be released to such executing agency as may be determined by the District
Collector or Chairman of the District Level Committee, for removal or demolition of the coastal aquaculture
unit or activity.
(2) The officer authorised under paragraph 7 by the Authority shall monitor the progress of the work executed
by the executing agency and report to the Environmental Monitoring Committee.
(3) The officers deputed by the Environmental Monitoring Committee shall maintain the record of the amount
released to the executing agency and furnish the report to the Environmental Monitoring Committee or the
District Level Committee and to the Authority.
(4) The Authority shall release fifty percent of the amount referred to in sub-paragraph (1) as an advance
amount prior to commencement of the work and the remaining amount on completion of the work after
considering the recommendation of the District Level Committee.
(5) The Authority shall maintain proper records and registers of the amount received and its utilisation.
9. Utilisation of amount received towards the cost of damage to the environment: (1) The amount
received towards the cost of damage to the coastal environment shall be credited into the account of the
Authority.
(2) The executing agency shall execute the restoration of the damage to the coastal environment under the
supervision of the officer authorised by the Authority.
(3) The officers deputed by the Environmental Monitoring Committee shall assess the cost of work done for
restoration of the coastal environment by the executing agency and report to the Environmental Monitoring
Committee and the District Level Committee and the Authority.
Form R-1
[See Sub-paragraph (3) of paragraph 4]
Notice to the operator of the polluting coastal aquaculture unit/activity
+---+---------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| 1. | Name and address of the operator of the | |
| | polluting coastal aquaculture unit/activity | |
+---+---------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| 2. | Type of coastal aquaculture unit/activity | |
| | (farm/hatchery/ mariculture unit/ BMC/ | |
| | NBC/ etc., (specify) | |
+---+---------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| 3. | Location of the polluting unit / activity | |
| | a. Survey No(s). | |
| | b. Geo coordinates | Longitude: |
| | | Latitude: |
| | c. Village | |
| | d. Taluk/Mandal | |
| | e. District | |
| | f. State | |
| | g. PIN Code | |
+---+---------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| 4. | Registration No issued by the CAA (if | |
| | applicable) with date of issue and validity | |
| | period | |
+---+---------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| 5. | Extent of the unit/ activity (ha) | |
| | (Total Farm Area and Water Spread Area | |
| | (ha) in case of farms) | |
+---+---------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| 6. | Nature of the damage, injury or loss caused | |
| | to the coastal environment | |
+---+---------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| 7. | The cost arrived (Rupees) | |
| | a. Cost of the Damage to the | |
| | Environment | |
| | b. Cost for demolition of the unit. | |
| | c. Cost for compensation to restore | |
| | the environment | |
| | d. Cost of sample collection and | |
| | analysis. | |
| | e. Expenditure towards TA, DA and | |
| | other incidental expenditure for | |
| | officers/staff involved in the survey | |
| | and assessment, etc. | |
| | f. Any other expenditure (Specify) | |
| | Total cost payable | |
+---+---------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+
| 8. | Due date for payment | |
+---+---------------------------------------------+-------------------------------------------------------------+
Note:
1. The payment shall be made through Demand Draft (DD) in favour of the Coastal Aquaculture Authority
payable at Chennai or through electronic means
2. The DD shall be submitted to the CAA through the District Level Committee (DLC)
3. In case of payment through electronic means, shall be deposited in the account of the Coastal Aquaculture
Authority.
4. The DLC, on receipt of payment from the operator of the unit /activity shall forward to the CAA with detailed
report
Place:
Date:
Signature of the Chairperson, DLC/
Environmental Monitoring Committee
with office seal
[F. No. j-1903336/2/2024-DOF (E-23648)]
NEETU KUMARI PRASAD, Jt. Secy.
Uploaded by Dte. of Printing at Government of India Press, Ring Road, Mayapuri, New Delhi-110064
and Published by the Controller of Publications, Delhi-110054.