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No immediate action against Lavasa: Prithviraj Chavan

Chavan on Tuesday said that his government was thinking a way out for the project.

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Three days after the union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) issued a notice to the state government asking it to take action against the Lavasa Corporation for violating environmental norms, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday said his government was thinking a way out for the project.

The CM, however, clarified that there would be no immediate action against the project. “This is an important project and action against the project does not mean the demolition of the project,” Chavan said.

The MoEF, in its directive on June 10, had asked the state government to take action against the project for the violation of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. It was found that construction was going on in 681 hectare area of the 2,000-hectare hill station project in violation of environmental norms.

State government officials have filed a case against the project in a Pune court.

“The appraisal committee of the environment ministry had suggested, four months ago, that the sanction to be given to the project will be subject to the fulfillment of the 34 conditions specified by the ministry. The construction/development on the 681 hectare area was without taking any permission and action was sought against it. However, we are looking for a way out for the project,” the CM said.

Lavasa head Ajit Gulabchand met the CM on Tuesday minutes after the Nationalist Congress Party MP Supriya Sule’s meeting with Chavan. The CM admitted that Gulabchand met him to discuss the developments related to the Lavasa project. He hinted that the MoEF had stated that the project could be regulated if it adheres to the 34 conditions put up by the ministry.

The state environment ministry has sought an opinion from the law and judiciary department before taking any action against the project.

“There are number of cases pending in the court against the project. We thought it appropriate to seek legal opinion before taking any action. We have written to the MoEF about the steps,” said a Mantralaya official. He said that action against the project means initiating regularisation process.

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