Fresh petition against Lavasa; land notice challenged

In a fresh trouble for Lavasa Corporation, two members of tribal community from Mulshi tehsil of Pune have approached the Bombay High Court, challenging the notification which empowered the Corporation to acquire land and act as a Special Planning Authority.

The division bench headed by Justice D D Sinha will hear the petition on January 31. Bhandya Bhau Walhekar and his brother Babu Walhekar have sought quashing of the June 2008 notification of state Urban Development Department. The petition argues that such powers cannot be delegated to a private company.

Only government bodies can be appointed as special planning authority and not a private firm such as Lavasa Corporation, which is a subsidiary of Hindustan Construction Company, it says. The Corporation, which is constructing a hill city, was earlier in trouble when Union Ministry of Environment and Forests issued a stop-work notice, citing lack of environmental clearances.

MoEF recently cleared first phase of the project after imposing certain conditions. Walhekars approached the High Court after sub-divisional officer of Maval issued a notice as to to why action for dispossession of their ten-hectare land should not be initiated.

The petition states that after receiving the notice, they learnt that their land had been transferred to Lavasa Corporation, and relying on the 2008 notification, the company was trying to take possession. The petition wants the Court to restrain Lavasa from dispossessing them, contending that land is their only source of income.