Medha Patkar demands fair hearing at Lavasa site inspection

A delegation from the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) began its three-day site inspection of the controversial Lavasa Lake City project near Pune on Wednesday even as social activist Medha Patkar arrived unexpectedly to demand a fair hearing.

The seven-member delegation was led by member-secretary Naresh Dayal. Accompanied by the ministry’s environment impact assessment advisor Nalini Bhat and scientist and MoEF director Bharat Bhushan among other officials, the team was received by Lavasa Corporation president Rajgopal Nogja who showed them several hill side areas where construction had taken place.

Lavasa had also organised a talk by Mose valley villagers who spoke of how the project was a boon to their lives.

Around 2pm, Patkar marched with a group of adivasis, villagers and activists to the Lavasa International convention centre to meet the government delegation.

Speaking to the assembled journalists she said, “The MoEF team had told us that on day one they would be carrying out an independent survey of the Lavasa city. However, when we heard that they had spoken to a group of villagers herded together by Lavasa Corporation, we decided that our activists and adivasis needed to be heard too. That’s why I decided to visit.”

On Patkar’s arrival, Dayal and his team cut short the presentation by Lavasa Corporation and stepped out to meet her.

The two groups had a half-hour discussion outside the centre as Patkar refused to enter it saying that most buildings in the city project were unauthorised.

Speaking on behalf of the activists, Patkar’s associate Suniti SR urged the delegation to visit the villages surrounding Dasve, where she alleged large scale tree cutting and destruction of flora and fauna by Lavasa Corporation.

Suniti alleged that the company was forcibly using excavators on plots of land belonging to poor adivasis and complained that dams had been constructed in Dhaman Ohal area at the very source of a river.

Dayal said he would continue the discussion with the adivasis in Mugaon village on Thursday.

Patkar, who has been leading a campaign against the 25,000-acre project and its promoters alleging environment norms violation, has sought a judicial enquiry into government approvals to the project.