Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Work is set to begin again on Phase I of the Lavasa project following a recent Ministry of Environment and Forests MoEF clearance. However,on the ground at Dasve village,exactly a year after the stay order came stopping work,Indias first planned hill city is almost a ghost town. No families live in the over 500 half-constructed villas on the hilltops around Dasve,while silence surrounds the restaurants and pubs that were meant to be bustling with customers.
A Waterfront Shaw hotel of Lavasa has eight restaurants along a river bank,Venice-style,now all standing desolate. A high-end restaurant,American Diner,is designed on the lines of a New York café. A pub modelled on its English counterparts calls itself Past Times. Plus there is an Oriental Octopus boasting Chinese cuisine,Grandma8217;s bakery offering homemade American desserts and a Pizzawala.
The only residents of this township over the past year have been employees of these businesses,hoping for a turnaround.
Spread over 2,000 hectares,Phase I was planned to have 620 hectares of residential area,33.74 hectares of commercial zones,72.77 hectares of hotels besides institutional area,open space and activities zone. There are luxury hotels,apart from clubs,spas,high schools,theme parks,nature trails,a theatre,an academy and a convention centre. As per plans,construction on Phase I should have been over by now.
With few customers coming,Waterfront Shaw one and a half months ago decided to keep operations closed during the week,only opening for weekends. Post the clearance by the MoEF,hope is floating again and they have resumed operations on weekdays.
The last three months have been the worst. Earlier,when everything was going as per schedule,we would earn Rs 4 to 5 lakh over the weekend. In the last three months,we just about made Rs 80,000 over Saturday,Sunday. People just dont come to Lavasa. But the fact is that we are open and waiting for customers, said one of the officials of Waterfront Shaw.
The only exception was summer vacation,when the management achieved almost 80 per cent of its targeted turnover of Rs 67 lakh over the season.
Despite repeated attempts,Lavasa spokesperson Ravindra Lohokare declined to comment,saying the matter is subjudice. No residents stay in Lavasa currently, he said,refusing to speak further.
Soon after the stay on construction in November last year,almost 4,000-5,000 workers left for their hometowns,mostly West Bengal. The three labourers colonies,4 km ahead of Dasve that were once home to 1,500,250 and 1,500 workers respectively,today stand deserted. The accommodations have been taken over by security guards and maintenance labourers,said registration officer Pankaj Gogoi.
A primary health care centre that would once be visited by 50 labourers a day also stands empty with only local villagers consulting Dr Shivaji Takle for minor illnesses.
In a bid to sustain the businesses,there was a change of strategy to promote Lavasa as a weekend destination. As a result,in April,the township saw Miss India contest winners inaugurating the resource centre followed by the unveiling of Lavasa Holidays an initiative to make Lavasa the first choice destination of tourists looking for short holidays. A Jamboree-11 summer programme for schoolchildren in May,Independence Day celebrations on August 15,besides festive seasons package Lavasa Corporation came up with everything possible to attract customers.
However,the turnaround hasnt come yet. An international school,Le Mont High School,has no students. While the number did go up to 15-odd students recently,the school closed within months.
Liliana Bandini,41,had come from Peru in July to join as Spanish language teacher and as Head of Department for Library. Her daughters Aisa and Alisia got enrolled in Classes IV and IX.
They were impressed by the beauty of the place and the peace and quiet,says Bandini. Coming from South America,we fell in love with India and the natural beauty of this country, said Miguel,who also left a trucks business in Peru to migrate.
But then the controversy started,following which the school shut down. I waited for something to happen,but now we plan to move back to our country. I hope that the school reopens. We are willing to come back here, said Liliana.
THE TIMELINE
June 2001: Lavasa gets approval from state urban development department
March 2004: Lavasa gets state environmental clearance
April 2008: MoEF clearance for 110-KV transmission line
November 2010: MoEF issues stop-work order to Lavasa Corporation following which it files a petition in the Bombay High Court
January 2011: MoEF sets terms for a project review
November 2011: Maharashtra
Pollution Control Board files case against Lavasa for violations of Environment Protection Act. Phase I gets conditional clearance from the MoEF
