Anna disapproves Lavasa township, writes to Maharashtra CM

Ralegan Siddhi, Nov 9 (ANI): Slamming Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan over Lavasa hill city township project, veteran anti-graft activist Anna Hazare today said that the project has violated the course of justice.

"The Lavasa project has violated the course of justice. The question that is raised is whom are the laws meant for. Are they only meant for public and not for the government? In the letter (to the state chief minister) I have written that the Lavasa project violates laws," he said.

Earlier, Chavan has appealed to the Ministry of Environment to endorse the first phase of the Lavasa township project located between Mumbai and Pune.

The construction of the privately developed project was held up for lack of clearance from the federal Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Talking to reporters after meeting Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan, Chavan 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."

" 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.

The fate of Lavasa, planned across 25,000 acres near Pune, hangs in balance after the MoEF and several non-government organisations raised objections over the ecological impact of the project. (ANI)