Another hill station project near Pune city?

08 July,2011 08:35 AM IST |   |  Vivek Sabnis

Environmentalists fear water meant for city may be diverted to project


Environmentalists fear water meant for city may be diverted to project

A hill station project near the city by Acqualand (India) Ltd may become the second one of its kind after Lavasa to get the green signal. This has left environmentalists worried, as there are two more projects in the pipeline and they fear all this development may take away water meant for the city. The water issue came to the fore after there was talk in the city that the local MP may discuss the Lake City project with Sunil Tatkare, Irrigation Minister, in Mumbai.


When nature calls: The natural beauty of Velha and Wegre in the
district attracts many. Pic/Vivek Sabnis


Activists have raised the question whether the project will get water from the dams allotted to the city. The project is located near Panshet, Varasgaon and Khadakwasala dams. Recently, Lavasa Corporation's Lavasa City project was under the vigil of Ministry of Environment and Forest for flouting environmental norms.

Now, Maharashtra Valley View Ltd, Satind Infrastrures Pvt Ltd and Acqualand (India) Ltd are the three projects awaiting environmental clearance from the Centre before they are given the green signal by the Urban Development Department of the state government.

Prakash Bhongale, Assistant Director, Town Planning, Pune, said discussions would most probably be held on the Acqualand project, which has not yet got the NOC from the Irrigation Department for the use of water from the dams near the city. The proposal shall be approved at the cabinet level.

The new project
The Acqualand Hill Station project shall cover Mauje Mulshi, Mugaon and Bhoili in the district, which also covers Lawarde, Wegere, Dhamanhol, Gadale, Ugavale, Koloshi, Sakhari, Vadhawali, Dasve, Palase, Bembatmal, Patharsheth and Bhode, said Bhongale.u00a0 In a letter to the Urban Development Department by Acqualand, A K Mathur stated that the project would generate a great deal of comfort to tourists with a wide variety of activities.

Greens objected
Suniti S R, national convener of the National Alliance of People Movement (NAPM) that is fighting against Lavasa Corporation, said the builder-businessmen-politician lobby was resulting in the deterioration of the environment at Sahyadri hills and also playing with dam water. "We are strongly opposing the new hill stations coming up at Sahyadri and Konkan area, which is an oxygen-providing area for the entire nation," he said.
Yashwant Kanhare, former director of town planning, said that playing with water generated by mother nature in the monsoon and cutting hills "is a crime" and these projects should not destroy the environment.

Investor destination
Mulshi, Wegre, Mugaon and 20 other villages in the region are possessed of natural beauty and ample water because of dams. These have become investment destinations for people living in the city, Mumbai and Kolhapur. There is a possibility of a few more private hill station projects in the near future, and developers will require land for this. So those who are investing in land now may get handsome returns if their plots are sold to promoters or those who want to develop the area as a private hill station, said Prakash Bhongale, Assistant Director, Town Planning, Pune. "Most of the lands have already been sold by locals," he said.u00a0

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