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Journalism of Courage
In a partial relief to the Lavasa Corporation,the Bombay High court on Tuesday vacated the stay imposed by the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) on the construction work at the site alleging violations of ministry notifications issued in 2004 by Lavasa.
The court asked Lavasa to approach the ministry by December 9 regarding the stay imposed on the work and directed the ministry to pass an order on it by December 16.
A Division Bench of Justice D K Deshmukh and Justice N D Deshpande was assigned the plea after Chief Justice Mohit Shah had recused himself from hearing the case on Monday.
On Tuesday,the court asked the Ministry how it could issue the stop-work direction stating that Lavasa had violated the notification issued by it in 2004.
What were you doing for six years?. How could you have issued the directions without hearing them out?
To this Additional Solicitor General Darius Khambhata replied that in matters pertaining to public interest the ministry could pass such directions.
But the Bench countered: What was public interest doing for the last six years? How did you ignore it for six years?
The court also directed the ministry to hear the plea of a bunch of social workers,who had alleged violations of environmental norms by the Lavasa Corporation in developing the project.
The court has adjourned the hearing on the Lavasa Corporation petition till December 16.
Lavasa,meanwhile,informed the court that it would not carry out any construction work,until the Ministry of Environment and Forest passes the orders.
