The Central Government move to build national capacity for implementation of the new Integrated Management Approach for Indiaâs coastal zones and piloting the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Approach in the three states of Gujarat, Orissa and West Bengal is dubious. The draft Coastal Management Zone (CMZ) Notification lapsed in 2009. The concept of Integrated Coastal Zone Management Plan was mooted in the draft CMZ Notification. Civil society groups have raised concerns on the CMZ notification and the need to strengthen the existing Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification. Point no. 8 of the draft summary of the World Bank assisted ICZM says the âGoI has already initiated steps to operationalise one part of the agenda, which is to create a suitable policy environment for integrated management of coastal and marine areaâ. Allowing commercial activities in the coast and then managing them are in sharp conflict to protection of coast provided in the CRZ notification. Although the MoEF has allowed the lapse of the proposed CMZ notification, the process to strengthen the existing CRZ notification by taking in the concerns of the coastal communities through public consultations, initiated by the MoEF is yet to be completed in all the proposed 10 states. Then the need for ICZM projects in pilot states for replication at national level is contradictory. This brief paper is our comments to the Ministry of Environment and Forests on the Draft Summary Report of the World Bank Assisted Integrated Coastal Zone Management Projectâ Environment and Social Assessment. Publisher: Equitable Tourism Options (EQUATIONS) Contact: [email protected], +91.80.25457607 Visit: www.equitabletourism.org, www.equitabletourism.org/stage/readfull.php?AID=784