The reproof by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) of the Lavasa project has pleased the green activists
The reproof by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) of the Lavasa project has pleased the green activists. The ministry remarked on Monday that the Lavasa Corporation had violated environmental laws while building its hill city.
Under the leadership of Medha Patkar, NAPM had filed a writ against Lavasa in the Bombay High Court and alleged that the corporation had flouted many environmental norms and were "bending" many rules to favour the project. MoEF had appointed a committee suggested by the NAPM and accepted all charges made in the writ.
"We all welcome the remarks passed by MoEF and expect that the high court will take a serious cognizance of this," said Suniti S R, national convener of NAPM. "We expect that those responsible for the Lavasa project should be punished by the court. Conditional clearance or regularising the Lavasa project suggested by MoEF will not be possible, as there is no such provision in the present environmental rules."
Maruti Bhapkar, a corporator and social activist from Pimpri-Chinchwad said the MOEF should not give conditional clearance to the project as even the basic environmental rules were flouted. Dr Vishwambhar Chaudhari, a noted environmentalist, said: "I am happy as the MoEF has not only accepted the suggestions made by the NAPM, but also agreed that constructions on hills are not safe as done by Lavasa. This is certainly a strong base for the hearing at the high court on January 27."u00a0
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