Lavasa in trouble over violation of green rules

New Delhi: The environment ministry has asked authorities in Maharashtra to take action against a $31 billion hillside township being developed by Hindustan Construction Co’s unit Lavasa Corp. The project outside Pune has run foul on the intervention of the environment ministry over violation of green rules. [caption id=“attachment_23776” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“The environment ministry has asked the Maharashtra government to take action against Lavasa Corp . Reuters”] [/caption] “The construction/development were in violation of the Environment (Protection) Act of 1986,” the environment ministry said in a statement. In November, the ministry had issued a notice to Lavasa asking why the construction should not be demolished, a move which was challenged by the company in a Mumbai court. The Ministry will take a decision on the basis of a report of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), which has recommended conditional approval to Lavasa Corporation, a subsidiary of Hindustan Construction Company (HCC). Ramesh said EAC, set up by the Ministry, has made recommendations but those have a “very large number of conditions” attached to them. “The full picture will be presented to the Court,” he said. When asked about Lavasa’s statement welcoming EAC recommendations, Ramesh said, “Any welcome or criticism is, therefore, premature and could well be misplaced.” Earlier in the day, HCC’s Chairman and Managing Director, Ajit Gulabchand, said in Mumbai that the Expert Appraisal Committee has recommended clearances for Lavasa’s first phase of 2,000 hectares-hill town project with “some conditions”. Lavasa also issued a statement in New Delhi welcoming the EAC’s recommendation. In December last year, the Environment Ministry had ordered status quo to be maintained at the site by terming it “unauthorised” and observed that Lavasa Corporation, the site developer and a subsidiary of HCC, had violated the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notifications. Lavasa Corporation challenged this order in the Bombay High Court and the matter is now pending before it. In February, the company had also applied for grant of environment clearance for the first phase of the project. Before that, in January this year, the Environment Ministry said it was ready to consider the project on “merits”, subject to fulfilment of certain conditions. PTI and Reuters