Environment Ministry gives nod to Lavasa

New Delhi, Nov. 9 (ANI): The Ministry of Environment on Wednesday gave the clearance to the first phase of the Lavasa hill city township project located between Mumbai and Pune subject to "strict compliance" of certain terms and conditions.

The decision came after the Maharashtra Government filed a case against the promoters of Lavasa Hill City for alleged violations of the Environment Protection Act (EPA).

Maharashtra chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had earlier appealed to the Ministry of Environment to endorse the first phase of the Lavasa hill city township project.

Chavan earlier this month said that a criminal case had been filed against Hindustan Construction Company (HCC), the promoters of the project for violating the environment laws, as directed by the government.

"I will repeat, I have specifically requested the Union Government that we have fulfilled all the formalities, including filing a criminal case under Environment Protection Act, as requested by Union Government in June of 2011," Chvan told mediapersons after meeting Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan earlier this month.

" If all the conditions that you have put forward have been completed, you should allow the project to proceed and atleast phase one clearance should be given. It is a very-very clear request to Union Government and they should act on it," he added

The MoEF had stayed construction work at the site alleging that Lavasa Corporation had violated the ministry notifications issued in 2004.

The Lavasa Corporation, a subsidiary of Hindustan Construction Company, had challenged in the Bombay High Court a notice issued by MoEF directing stay on construction for not obtaining mandatory environment clearances before starting the project in 2004. (ANI)