2008 MoEF letter could nail Arai's expansion plans

It may not be easy for the Automotive Research Association of India (Arai) to push home its proposal to convert 49 acres on the contentious Vetal Tekdi from 'hilltop/ hill-slope zone' and include it in 'public/semi-public zone' after all.

A ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) letter dated April 24, 2008, threatens to take the wind out of Arai's sails. The letter addressed to Arai allows the vehicle testing organisation to construct just one vehicle testing track on the existing piece of land leased to them in 1971.

There is no permission whatsoever about granting additional land to Arai. The letter lists 18 specific dos and don'ts that Arai has been directed to adhere to.

Significantly, the MoEF letter has specified to Arai to construct the vehicle testing track only on 55.74 hectares from the total 105.74 hectares that were given to it on a 90-year-lease in 1971. The letter also directs Arai to return the balance 50 hectares to the state forest department.

However, these conditions became null and void the moment the Forest Conservation (FC) Act, 1980, came into force. The FC Act made it mandatory for Arai to put up a fresh proposal to the MoEF with several conditions, including payment of Rs10 crore towards greening, afforestation, fencing the deforested areas on the stipulated 105 hectares, to get permission to continue using the reserved forest land. Arai made this payment to the MoEF in 2008.

Speaking to DNA on Tuesday, chief conservator of forests (Pune) Nitin Kakodkar categorically said, "While Arai is free to approach the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to change the zoning, any contravention of the 2008 MoEF letter would be viewed seriously by both the MoEF and the state forest department."

DNA, in its report 'Corporators support ARAI expansion plan' on July 26 had stated how the state government had proposed in January 2011 to delete 49 acres on Vetal Tekdi from 'hilltop/ hill-slope zone' and include it in 'public/ semi-public zone'. The change was proposed so that the existing 2.6 lakh square feet construction and the proposed 3.8 lakh square feet construction of Arai would be made permissible.

Corporators had supported the state government's proposal to change the zone of a plot of land on Vetal Tekdi to allow additional construction by Arai.

However, as reported by DNA on Tuesday, the city corporators' views have been rubbished by green activists, led by eminent personalities such as Vanrai president, Mohan Dharia, ecologist Madhav Gadgil and scientist Jayant Narlikar, who strongly objected to the proposed construction and change in zone of a plot of land on Vetal Tekdi at a meeting at the town planning department on Monday.