The centre has decided to permit beach resorts and hotels on the seaside under a new dispensation except in the ecologically sensitive areas like marine parks, mangroves, coral reefs, wildlife habitats and breeding and spawning grounds of fish.

The guidelines proposed under the draft Coastal Regulation Zone notification that comes into effect after 60 days of objections and suggestions from public, however, ensure nobody carries out constructions for permanent residences as these will be specifically for "temporary occupation of tourists and visitors."

The resorts and hotels will require prior approval of the Ministry of Environment and Forests and allowed in Coastal Zones II and III that are either developed areas up to or close to the shore-line or relatively undisturbed rural areas. They will also require the necessary approval of the tourism department of the concerned state or union territory.

The guidelines make it clear that no construction will be made on the seaward side of the hazard line and between low tide and high tide lines, though the centre has retained power to relax these restrictions, taking into account geographical features and overall coastal zone management plans.

Live fencing and barbed wire fencing with vegetative cover will be permitted, provided they do not hamper public access to the beaches. Also no permanent structures for sports facilities shall be permitted except for putting up goal posts, net posts and lamp posts. To ensure easy access of public to the beaches, the guidelines also stipulate atleast a gap of 20 metres between any two hotels/beach resorts and each of these gaps should be within half a kilometre.

Other conditions stipulated in the guidelines include:

-- The overall height of construction upto the highest ridge of the roof, shall not exceed nine metres and the construction shall not be more than two floors (ground floor plus one upper floor);

-- Construction of basement may be allowed subject to the condition that no objection certification is obtained from the State Ground Water Authority that it won't affect groundwater flow;

-- Necessary arrangements for the treatment of the effluents and solid wastes must be made. It must be ensured that the untreated effluents and solid wastes are not discharged into the water or on the beach; and no effluent/solid waste shall be discharged on the beach;

-- Though no construction is allowed in the no development zone for the purposes of calculation of Floor Space Index, the area of entire plot including the portion which falls within the no development zone shall be taken into account;

-- The total plot size shall not be less than 0.4 hectares and the total covered area on all floors shall not exceed 33 percent of the plot size i.e., the Floor Space Index shall not exceed 0.33. The open area shall be suitably landscaped with appropriate vegetal cover;

-- The construction shall be consistent with the surrounding landscape and local architectural style;

-- Groundwater shall not be tapped within 200 metres of the High Tide Line; within the 200-500 metre zone it can be tapped only with the concurrence of the Central/State Ground Water Board;

-- Extraction of sand, leveling or digging of sandy stretches except for structural foundation of building, swimming pool shall not be permitted within 500 metres of HTL;

-- The quality of treated effluents, solid wastes, emissions and noise levels etc., from the project area must conform to the standards laid down by the competent authorities including the Central/State Pollution Control Board and under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986; and

-- No flattening of sand dunes shall be carried out.