Environment ministry heard Lavasa Corporation over its stalled township project near Pune, which allegedly violated green laws, and asked it to submit data in a fresh format before the matter could be decided.
The Union Environment and Forest Ministry (EoFM) today heard real estate company Lavasa Corporation over its stalled township project near Pune, which allegedly violated green laws, and asked it to submit data in a fresh format before the matter could be decided.
Along with Lavasa, representatives of Medha Patkar's National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM) and local villagers also presented their views before the ministry over the Rs3000 project where further construction has come to a halt for alleged violation of environmental laws.
Talking to reporters after the hearing, Arun Badupali, vice president (legal) of the company, said the hearing at the MOEF today did not conclude as the ministry requested Lavasa Corporation to submit data in a different format.
According to him, Lavasa will be submitting the details by December 28.
"The local villagers from Lavasa also made a submission to the MoEF regarding the positives of the project," the company said in a statement.
"MoEF has also indicated that there will be additional hearing apart from visit by the committee to Lavasa," it added.
Meanwhile, NAPM representatives alleged Lavasa Corporation today the company opposed the hearing of the matter by a ministry team comprising advisor Nalini Bhat, Scientist Bharat Bhushan and other senior officials and said the minister himself is the competent authority.
"Today during the whole hearing for two hours, they were saying that the MoEF (Ministry of Environment and Forests) is not the right authority. They also questioned that how come the director can hear this matter, because they are not authority," said Maduresh Kumar, who represented Medha Patkar's NAPM, which opposes the project.
Lavasa argued the minister himself is the competent authority to hear the case, he said.
Kumar said the ministry team reacted saying "we are hear to hear you and whatever you say we will note it down."
NAPM representatives said they opposed to the argument by the Lavasa that EIA notification 1994 as well as 2006 is not applicable to the project. NAPM argued the MoEF was the competent authority from whom the Lavasa should have taken the environment clearance.
"We feel that MoEF is the right authority," Kumar said and claimed Lavasa avoided it.
Meanwhile, the ministry also heard the version of five sarpanches from the area.
Yesterday, the Bombay high court had declined to interfere with a directive of the MoEF asking Lavasa Corporation to stop construction at its township in Pune district pending hearing of show-cause notice.
The high court has asked MoEF to take, by January 10, a final decision on the show-cause notice issued to the company.
It also directed that before taking the decision, a state/Centre-level environment impact assessment committee must visit the site "at least for three days" for inspection.
MoEF served notice to Lavasa on November 25 asking why it did not obtain environmental clearances, as per notifications issued under Environment Protection Act, before the hill city project started in 2004.
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