Govt stops construction work at Lavasa

[Mrudul Godbole]

Govt stops construction work at Lavasa

Posted on Nov 26, 2010 at 13:23 | Updated Nov 26, 2010 at 19:37

New Delhi: The Environment Ministry on Friday issued a showcause notice to Lavasa Corporation to stop construction in the Lavasa township project for flouting environment norms.
The notice asks the Lavasa Corporation to reply to the notice within 15 days and stop all construction until then.
Lavasa being built in Maharshtra's Pune district is India's first planned hill city.

Lavasa has come under the scanner of the ministry of environment and forests after the developers went ahead with construction work without permission.
Construction has been made on hills above 1000 metres for which environmental clearance is required.
According to the showcause notice over 5 per cent of the total project cost has already been incurred without environmental clearance. The notice also says that changes were made in project during the first phase without getting permission.

Full article and video at - http://ibnlive.in.com/news/govt-stops-construction-work-at-lavasa/135905-3.html?from=tn

[Sabyasachi Patra]

This project is backed by a number of influential politicians. MoEF has rightly stopped the work, albeit temporarily. Lets see if the project is completely stopped or they will regularise it after slapping a fine/penalty. These days, MoEF is buying the argument that money has already been spent and hence projects are allowed. If that continues, then influential individuals and firms will continue to flout the rules, as they can always pay a financial penalty and get it regularised.

Sabyasachi

[Lakshminarayanan Nataraja]

Our MoEF minister has now been labled as Mr.No by the corporate lobbies. Not sure how long Mr. Ramesh can endure the pressure from multiple fronts.

The forest ministry needs strong backing from people if all disastrous projects in the row are to be shelved one after the other and we all have our roles cut in educating the masses as much as we can on the importance of conservation.

Documenting the left over places (be it a forest, wetland, scrub, shore, coast, swamp) in a rational manner is the need of the hour.

[Sabyasachi Patra]

For the first time Sharad Power, Union Agriculture Minister and Chief of Nationalist Congress Party has admitted his links to the Lavasa project. Sharing below a CNN-IBN report.
Sabyasachi

I chose Lavasa plot, admits Sharad Pawar
CNN-IBN
Posted on Dec 12, 2010 at 09:26 | Updated Dec 12, 2010 at 11:21

New Delhi: Union Agricultural Minister Sharad Pawar said he was smitten by Lavasa - the site of the controversial hill station housing project in Maharashtra. The Lavasa project is close to my heart admitted Sharad Pawar, says he has chosen the controversial site after he was taken in by its natural beauty.

"It's 100 per cent true that I selected the site for Lavasa. I always thought some places should be developed in the Sahyadri mountain ranges. If there are mistakes action should be taken. But the process should not be stopped. I think what they are doing is an important project," said Pawar.

Pawar for the first time has admitted his links with the controversial housing project Lavasa in a book published at his Delhi residence.

The Agricultural Minister also admitted that it was he who instructed Ajit Gulabchand to look into the project. The project has run into some turbulence with the Environment Ministry.

The source article can be found here: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/i-choose-lavasa-plot-admits-sharad-pawar/137187-37-64.html?from=tn

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Sharing a report published in DNA. It has quoted the Chairman of the MoEF appointed committee saying that there has been no large-scale destruction of forests in Lavasa. Many feared that given the high profile people backing this project, there would be a coverup and a way out will be found for the regularisation of the Lavasa project.

This raises questions about the perception that is created that the Government favours the rich and the mighty. If destruction of the environment is Ok for the pleasure of the rich, then can we claim moral right to relocate the poor from the core of the forests. Though two wrongs never make it right, however, we are living in times when logic is not the basis for arriving at decisions.
Sabyasachi


No large-scale destruction of forests in Lavasa: Environment ministry team
Published: Friday, Jan 7, 2011, 23:57 IST | Updated: Saturday, Jan 8, 2011, 11:07 IST
By Rahul Chandawarkar | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

There has been no large scale destruction of forests in the construction ofLavasa City, the chairman of the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) inspection team, NareshDayal said here on Friday.

The 11-member team which included four members from the state government completed its three day inspection tour of the Lavasa project on Friday following a directive from the Bombay high court.

During their visit, the team made spot visits and interacted with the company’s representatives, social activists Medha Patkar, Anna Hazare and villagers in favour and those opposed to the project.
Speaking to journalists at the New Circuit House in Pune before returning to New Delhi on Friday, Dayal said that Pune’s water supply was not under any threat because of the damming of waters by the Lavasa Corporation at Lavasa city.

When asked specifically about the threat of multiple dams in the river basin, Dayal said, “The multiple dam issue is beyond the purview of our inspection team.”

Expressing satisfaction over his visit, Dayal said, “We were happy with our field visits. The Lavasa team cooperated with us. We also got a chance to meet all the different stake holders in the Lavasa City, including two sets of villagers, both anti and pro-Lavasa.”

Stating that his team was given ‘copious documents’ by the Lavasa Corporation and several documents by various departments of the state government, Dayal said that his team discussed the master plans, environment parameters, visited the sewage treatment plan, the water treatment plan, thehospital and the stone crushing division of the project.

“My team is confident of submitting our detailed report to the ministry of environments and forest in the next few days, in time for the ministry to submit their say before the High Court,” he said.

The link to the news article is here: http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_no-large-scale-destruction-of-forests-in-lavasa-environment-ministry-team_1491732