On January 17, the MoEF extended its status quo order, preventing further construction on the development of the 2,000-hectare hill city near Pune. The ministry had asked the company to submit its development plans and other details to decide on the grant of environmental clearance to Lavasa.
Last week, Lavasa sought six weeks' time from the high court in a pending petition challenging the original show-cause notice issued last year by the ministry and the validity of various environment notifications on the grounds that it was submitting project details to the MoEF. It also filed a fresh petition challenging and seeking a stay on the MoEF's final order. The petition was filed by Lavasa and its president Rajgopal Nogja against the MoEF, union environment minister Jairam Ramesh, MoEF director Bharat Bhushan and Nalini Bhat, who is advisor to the ministry. Read the full report here.
Source: Swati Deshpande, TNN, Mumbai.
