By IANS,
New Delhi : The environment ministry Friday denied environment clearance to first phase of Rs.3,000 crore Lavasa hill city project near Pune, saying the company failed to meet the pre-conditions set for clearing the project.
The order came after Bombay High Court Friday asked the ministry to pass a final order, or else the court would begin hearing the case afresh based on merit.
“As the pre-condition on the credible action on violation of environment impact assessment (EIA), 2006 has not been complied with, the ministry is unable to issue the environment clearance to the first phase of the hill city project (2,000 hectares) of Lavasa,” the ministry said in its order.
Lavasa in February had applied for a fresh environment clearance of phase-I spread in 2,000 hectares in village Mulshi near Pune.
The conditions included submission of a written commitment by the company that green violations shall not be repeated, and the scale and intensity of development of the hill town shall be as per Hill Station Regulations.
Besides, five percent of the total cost of the project would have been earmarked towards corporate social responsibility by the company and it was to submit an undertaking to mark adequate funds for creation of environment restoration fund.
The ministry had Nov 25 slapped a show-cause notice on Lavasa Corporation because it had allegedly failed to secure necessary environmental clearances before starting work on its 5,000-plus hectare lake city project coming up in Mulshi sub-district of Pune district, around 200 km from Mumbai.
The company approached the Bombay High Court against the environment ministry’s order.