Ministry of environment and forests issued a stop work notice last week over environment clearances, irregularities.
An uneasy calm has enveloped Lavasa Lake City, a township 65 km from Pune, ever since the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) issued a “stop work” notice on November 25.
Construction work has come to a complete standstill at this massive project along the backwaters of the Warasgaon reservoir, with workers and labour contractors visibly worried about their
future.
At Dasve, which falls under the first phase of the Lavasa project, labourers were seen chatting by the side of empty roads and half-constructed buildings on Thursday. The cranes and concrete mixers were idle.
A lone truck unloading tiles near a construction site was the only activity at Lavasa when a DNA team visited the township. At a labour camp, occupants were chatting and killing time outside their makeshift hutments. Tatya Pawar, a sub-contractor, told DNA, “Work has come to a standstill since Saturday. I don’t know what will happen next. If the work doesn’t restart within a couple of days, I will be forced to send back my labourers. I cannot bear the burden of their wages without work.”
Security has been stepped up at the entry gate to the project. Adding to the sombre mood was the absence of boating and water sports activity in Dasve lake. In the nearby restaurant, just a handful of visitors were enjoying the beauty and quiet of the environs and some young couples zooming in the valley on motorcycles.
The project, being developed by Hindustan Construction Corporation across seven hills and 60 km of lakefront, has run into a controversy over environment clearances, land acquisition issues and allegations of irregularities.
Located around three hours drive from Mumbai and an hour’s drive from Pune, the township’s master plan has been developed by world renowned design consultant HOK, USA. A wide variety of residences, including sprawling hillside villas, have been planned.
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