New Delhi, January 18
Providing a ray of hope for Lavasa, the Environment Ministry today said it was prepared to consider the project being constructed near Pune on “merits” subject to fulfillment of certain conditions even as it ordered that no further construction should be undertaken for now.

The ministry held that the construction is ‘unauthorised” involving "environmental degradation" and hence status quo should be maintained on construction on the Rs 3,000 crore hill project in accordance with the ministry’s November 25, 2010, order prohibiting any work at the site.

At the same time, the ministry, in an order, said it is “prepared to consider the project on merits with the imposition of various terms and conditions”. It expressed readiness to consider the project “taking into account all the facts and circumstances of the case, particularly the submissions made with regard to the investments already incurred, third party rights which are accrued, the various steps taken for establishment of a comprehensive hill station development, the employment generated and the claimed upliftment of the area under consideration.”

The terms and conditions included payment of “substantial penalty” for the violation of environmental laws, which is “incontrovertible”.

Besides the penalty, Lavasa Corporation Limited will have to create Environmental Restoration Fund (ERF) with “sufficiently large corpus” to be managed by an independent body with various stakeholders under the overall supervision of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the order said. — PTI