Consider allowing partial work at Lavasa: HC to govt

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Thursday asked the ministry of environment and forests to consider allowing a partial resumption of construction at Lavasa Corporation's hill station township project near Pune. The two-judge bench of the court adjourned the hearing of Lavasa's writ petition to Tuesday.

On Thursday the court suggested that the ministry could allow some construction critical to the project under its supervision. But it did not pass an order because the additional solicitor general representing the ministry said he would be able to respond to the court at the next hearing after consulting the ministry.

During the proceedings, the court said that the ministry's order has general observations on the violation of environmental norms violation. It needs to provide specific details about such violations, it said.
The ministry, which on Tuesday issued an interim order stopping construction at the project, will give Lavasa a final hearing on December 22 and place its final decision before the court by December 31.

After hearing Lavasa, a subsidiary of Hindustan Construction Company, and non-governmental organisation National Alliance of People's Movement or NAPM, earlier this week the ministry maintained its stance that the project has violated environmental norms.

On December 7, the Bombay High Court had provided an interim stay on the ministry's direction to Lavasa to stop construction at the proposed hill station township. It had directed the ministry to give Lavasa and NAPM that had complained against the project a hearing on December 9. The court had also directed the ministry to pass an order on this issue by December 16.

Lavasa through its writ petition has challenged the show-cause notice issued by the ministry asking the company to stop all construction activity at the project.