‘Need to talk about Lavasa positives to change perception’

“We must talk more openly about the facts. All 18 village panchayats around Lavasa have taken a unanimous decision to support us. As many as 50,000 workers,who lost their jobs when the project was stalled,support us. Why did Patkar not care about them?” he asked.

Patkar has been opposing the Lavasa project citing alleged environmental violations and forcible eviction of residents for land acquisition.

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests had issued a stop-work notice to the multi-crore project near Pune in November 2010 citing lack of clearances,environmental degradation and other related issues. The ministry eventually gave its nod for the first phase of the project a year later in November 2011 with some key preconditions,which included filing a case by the Maharashtra government against the promoters of Lavasa Hill City.

“I can take you around Lavasa and show you every environment-friendly step we have taken that has won many international accolades,” he added. Gulabchand maintained there has been no forcible acquisition of land and the project has only brought about more employment and prosperity for the villagers nearby.

Patkar’s allegation that Pune will lose part of its water supply due to the project is also incorrect,Gulabchand said. “The total water in all the rivers culminating at Khadakwasla is 34 TMC,of which Pune needs only 11 TMC,” he said.

The HCC has signed an agreement with the Gujarat government to implement a Lavasa-like model in Dolera and plans to work on the creation of four satellite towns near Bangalore.

“The approach of these governments is better. Gujarat has a more enabling atmosphere when it comes to making business possible and easy,” Gulabchand said.

He also flayed the draft Land Acquisition Bill,2011,and said the requirement to have the consent of 80 per cent people in any area and giving the displaced a share of equity or jobs for 26 years will make the entire process unworkable. “The draft Bill,if passed in its present condition,will be a disaster and there will be no development for the next 100 years. The present Bill is unworkable,” Gulabchand said.

The state doesn’t need a different land acquisition Bill and the one currently in force is good enough,he added.