Environment Ministry refuses to lift stop-work order on Lavasa

“Ministry is of the considered opinion that the directions issued under Section 5 of the Environment (Protection) Act,1986 to Lavasa Corporation Ltd on November 25 to stop project activities going on at the site should continue till the final analysis is undertaken…,” the ministry order said.

The Ministry has fixed December 22 for hearing Lavasa’s side again and said “an order could be expected on or before December 31”.

The order came just two days ahead of the hearing of the case at the Bombay High Court which had asked the Ministry to decide by December 16 whether construction at the site should be allowed.

The court order was in the wake of the Lavasa petition alleging that the Environment Ministry has issued a show-cause notice to it in haste and “under pressure” from environmentalists such as Medha Patekar.

The Ministry had issued show-cause notice to Hindustan Construction Company’s unit Lavasa Corporation on November 25 asking it why the project should not be done away with for violation of various norms and saying that Lavasa should not undertake construction at the site till it files its reply to the Ministry and a decision is taken on it.

Denying the allegations,the Lavasa in its 66-page petition in the court has defended the development of the hill station saying it was need of the hour as there is tremendous pressure on existing ones in the state.

The petition also submitted that the state government had granted it environmental clearance on March 18,2004,after considering the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report of National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI).

They also received a go-ahead from Maharashtra Pollution Control Board in 2005 and various mitigative measures were being taken to save environment,Lavasa had said during a hearing before the Environment Ministry held in response to its show-cause notice.

However,the Ministry based on the Lavasa’s submission claimed,”it had not been able to show compliance with the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification of 1994,its amendment in July 2004 and the subsequent substantive notification issued in September 2006.”

The Ministry also noted that the submission indicated that “large-scale construction work is going on which has resulted in the deterioration of the environmental status of the area…with movement of men and machinery having serious impact on the flora and fauna.”

Also,it said,the other important issues include the waste water management,construction debris,the waste generated through existing operational units and energy conservation including alternative source of energy.

Patkar,who has been opposing the project tooth and nail since its inception,had alleged that the “although the Lavasa have made a case for continuation of the project due to expenditure on the project so far,yet if the work continues it would finally result in the ‘point of no return’ and become fait accompli”.