- Lavasa
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Lavasa — city — Coordinates 18°24′19″N 73°30′23″E / 18.40528°N 73.50627°ECoordinates: 18°24′19″N 73°30′23″E / 18.40528°N 73.50627°E Country India State Maharashtra District(s) Pune Time zone IST (UTC+05:30) Area 100 square kilometres (39 sq mi) Codes-
• Pincode • 412107
Website www.lavasa.com Lavasa (Marathi: लवासा) is a private,[1] planned city being built near Pune.[2]
A 25,000 acres (100 km2)[1] or 8,000 acres (32 km2)[3] project being developed by HCC,[4] this as-yet-incomplete city has been controversial for multiple reasons including procurement of land,[5] harm to the environment,[1] and loans acquired through political corruption.[6]
In late 2010 the Indian Environment and Forests Ministry requested that construction cease because the project violated environmental laws.[7]
Contents
History
Billed as India's first hill station since Independence,[8] this private city is being constructed by a unit of Ajit Gulabchand's Hindustan Construction Company, Lavasa Corporation.[9]
- Land
The area demarcated for Lavasa is located near Pune in the Mose valley[5] of the Western Ghats.[10]
- Lavasa Corporation
Currently majority owned by Hindustan Construction Company,[11] Lavasa Corporation is responsible for the construction of the city. It is preparing to make an initial public offering,[11] although this has been temporarily postponed.[12]
- Legal name
Originally registered as Pearly Blue Lake Resorts Pvt Ltd in 2000, the company changed its name to The Lake City Corporation Pvt Ltd later that year and around 2004 changed it again to its current name, Lavasa Corporation.[13]
- Ownership
As of late 2010 ownership of Lavasa Corporation is Hindustan Construction Company (64.99%), Avantha Group (16.25%), Venkateshwara Hatcheries (12.8%), and individual investor Vinay Vithal Maniar (6%).[11]
- Current progess
As of 2011 four hotels and a city centre have been completed.[14]
Plans
While some sections are complete, construction of Lavasa will not be finished before 2020.[15] Total population when complete will be an estimated 200,000.[16] When complete it will comprise four or five towns built on seven hills.[17] The first of these, Dasve, was supposed to be complete by 2010.[8] Mugaon, the second, may be finished by 2013.[15]
- Sports facilities
Planned sports facilities include a Nick Faldo-designed golf course, a Manchester City-branded football academy, and a Hockey Australia hockey academy.[18]
- Theme park
A theme park over 65 acres (0.26 km2) in size is planned.[19]
- University
Lavasa will host at least one university.[10] Initially Lavasa had a partnership with Oxford University,[20][21] but by 2010 this British institution had removed itself from the project.[16] As of 2010, Symbiosis International University is planning to set up a new liberal arts college campus at the township.[22]
- Other facilities
A 200 acre health and wellness center[20] and an herb plantation[23] are also planned.
CSR
Lavasa Corporation has initiated a number of CSR programs that target Lavasa and its environs. These include providing vocational training and employment opportunities for locals already living near Lavasa and hosting Diwali festivities for primary school students from nearby villages.[24]
Education
Lavasa will offer a range of educational choices to its residents as well as those who simply come to study.
- Hospitality extension campus
Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa is a hospitality management college in Lavasa and an overseas extension of the École hôtelière de Lausanne of Switzerland.[25]
- School
A primary, middle, and high school, Le Mont High allows children of Lavasa residents to be educated inside the city's walls.[26]
- Future university
Lavasa will host at least one university.[10] Initially Lavasa had a partnership with Oxford University,[20][21] but by 2010 this British institution had removed itself from the project.[16] As of 2010, Symbiosis International University is planning to set up a new liberal arts college campus at the township.[27]
Awards and recognition
Lavasa has won several awards for its plans and designs. In 2005 Dasve village in Lavasa won awards from the Congress for the New Urbanism and the American Society of Landscape Architects.[28] In 2009 the St. Louis chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects recognized the Lavasa landscape master plan with a merit award.[29]
Controversies
Lavasa is controversial for many reasons.
Bribes for loans
Lavasa Corporation is accused of benefiting from loans obtained through bribery.[6]
Environmental damage
An Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests team investigating Lavasa concluded the city has caused environmental damage.[1][30]
Quarrying
While Lavasa has stone crushing permits, its operations have been described as "hill cutting" and "quarrying" by the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests, and the environmental impact of these activities has been under investigation.[31]
Land acquisition
Both government and individual land owners displaced have taken issue with Lavasa's land acquisition approach.
A report by the Maharashtra environment department claims 600 hectares (6.0 km2) of land bought by Lavasa Corporation was purchased from farmers who had been granted it by the Indian State. Because of the way in which the farmers obtained the land, three fourths of the purchase price should have been paid to the State. The report states Lavasa Corporation only paid 2%. It also alleges 141 hectares (1.41 km2) of Lavasa were leased for far less than actual value by the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation and that Lavasa bought 98 hectares (0.98 km2) of land without license.[11]
Some say land Lavasa is being built on was obtained through coercion.[5] Lavasa Corporation denies this.[14]
Nepotism
Sharad Pawar, an Indian politician born in the state of Maharashtra, may have demanded compensation for allowing Lavasa to be constructed. When Lavasa Corporation was receiving necessary clearances from the government of Maharashtra, relatives of Pawar had part-ownership of the company developing the project.[32] A daughter and son-in-law of Pawar had more than 20% ownership between 2002 and 2004 and later sold their stakes.[14] A nephew of his was chairman of Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation (MKVDC) when the MKVDC signed off on lease agreements for Lavasa and allowed it to store water and build dams.[32]
Use of water resources
Lavasa will use the same water resources that currently supply Pune, and it is claimed that this will cause a supply shortage.[23] A 2011 report by the Expert Appraisal Committee of the Union Environment Ministry concluded there will be no impact on Pune's water supply, however.[33]
Orders to Halt Construction
Construction on Lavasa has been suspended due to allegations made by the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests.[7] This Ministry contends Lavasa did not obtain necessary central government approval obtaining clearance only from the state of Maharashtra instead.[15]
In late 2010 it ordered Lavasa Corporation to halt further construction.[7]
On 15 October 2011, the Ministry of Environment and Forests once again refused to grant green clearance to the first phase of the project. The ministry's new order came after Bombay High Court last month directed it to pass the final order on the regularisation application of Lavasa Corporation with regard to constructions at township project near Pune in three weeks. [34]
References
- ^ a b c d "India rules hill city 'illegal'". bbc.co.uk. 19 January 2011 Last updated at 00:57 ET. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12223024.
- ^ "UPDATE 1-India ministry sets terms to consider Lavasa approval". reuters.com. Tue Jan 18, 2011 7:58am EST. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/01/18/lavasa-order-idUSSGE70H0A320110118.
- ^ "Biomimicry: Architecture That Imitates Life". harvardmagazine.com. September–October 2009. http://harvardmagazine.com/2009/09/architecture-imitates-life.
- ^ "Lavasa Corporation Ltd: India's First Planned Hill City Deploys Portal Solution to Empower Employees; Increases Collaboration and Efficiency". microsoft.com. 5/31/2010. http://www.microsoft.com/Canada/casestudies/Case_Study_Detail.aspx?casestudyid=4000007468.
- ^ a b c "Howl of the hills". downtoearth.org.in. Sep 15, 2008. http://www.downtoearth.org.in/node/4987.
- ^ a b "Suzlon, Lavasa among named in India bribery scam-reports". Reuters. November 25, 2010. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUKSGE6AO03620101125.
- ^ a b c "Environment Ministry asks Lavasa to halt project". The Economic Times. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/indl-goods-/-svs/construction/Environment-Ministry-asks-Lavasa-to-halt-project/articleshow/6994372.cms.
- ^ a b "India's newest hill station builds for the future". AFP news hosted by google.com. Sep 15, 2009. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iK6NTbE21WwVHWmJI-4JwBO3LUsg.
- ^ "HCC's Lavasa court hearing adjourned for 6 weeks". reuters.com. Thu Jan 27, 2011 7:31am EST. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/01/27/lavasa-hearing-idUSSGE70Q0AK20110127.
- ^ a b c "A Stop in India’s Lavasa". forbes.com. Dec. 20 2010. http://blogs.forbes.com/timferguson/2010/12/20/a-stop-in-indias-lavasa/.
- ^ a b c d "SHOWCAUSE NOTICE: JAIRAM ORDERS WORK TO STOP - Lavasa lands in trouble for flouting green laws". The Economic Times. November 27, 2010. http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Layout/Includes/ETNEW/ArtWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=ETNEW&BaseHref=ETD%2F2010%2F11%2F27&ViewMode=HTML&GZ=T&PageLabel=1&EntityId=Ar00100&AppName=1. Retrieved February 09, 2011.
- ^ "Lavasa IPO may face delay: HCC Chairman". Business Standard. http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/lavasa-ipo-may-face-delay-hcc-chairman/118365/on.
- ^ "Pawars no strangers to big land projects". http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_pawars-no-strangers-to-big-land-projects_1194953-all.
- ^ a b c Byatnal, Amruta (October 31, 2010). "Symbolic of luxury, Lavasa is built on irregularities". The Hindu (Pune). http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article859868.ece. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
- ^ a b c "The hills are alive with the sound of controversy". business-standard.com. September 7, 2010, 1:49 IST. http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/the-hillsalivethe-soundcontroversy/407277/.
- ^ a b c Thekaekara, Tarsh. "The great urban juggernaut". New Internationalist. http://www.newint.org/columns/currents/2010/05/01/lavasa-indias-first-private-city/. Retrieved February 9, 2011.
- ^ For four towns, see Discover Lavasa: Master Plan; A vision becomes reality Lavasa Official Site
- For five towns, see Lavasa: Life in Full Lavasa Official Site (Page 4)
- For seven hills, see Lavasa: Life in Full. Lavasa Official Site (page 2)
- ^ For the golf course, see Faldo signs ‘stunning’ Indian course design project nickfaldo.com, 8th June 2009
- For the football academy, see "Blues to open academy in India". mcfc.co.uk. 28 May 2010. http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Club-news/2010/May/Blues-to-open-academy-in-India. Retrieved 28 May 2010-05-28.
- For the hockey academy, see "Hockey Australia recognised as sport world leader following unique partnership". http://www.hockey.org.au/index.php?id=90&tx_ttnews=298&tx_ttnews=18&cHash=972ef54243.
- ^ http://www.financialexpress.com/news/lavasa-to-host-spaceworld-asias-first-space-edutainment-centre-at-rs-400-crore-investment/413522/
- ^ a b c A modern township nestled in the Sahyadris thehindubusinessline.in, 2008/06/22
- ^ a b Oxford dragged into ‘land-grab’ scam thehindu.com, by Hasan Suroor. Monday, Aug 31, 2009
- ^ Symbiosis to start liberal arts institute indianexpress.com,Thu Mar 04 2010
- ^ a b Water being diverted to Lavasa, alleges Patkar expressindia.com, Jul 08, 2009 at 0511 hrs IST
- ^ For vocational training, see Lavasa empowers youth from 18 villages indiainfoline.com, Oct 19, 2010
- For children's Diwali festivities, see Lavasa Corporation sparkled hearts of 350 Children this Diwali indiainfoline.com, Oct 28, 2010
- ^ Ecole Hoteliere Lavasa ecolehotelierelavasa.com
- ^ From the Head of School's Desk Le Mont High official site, retrieved: 31.8.2011
- ^ Symbiosis to start liberal arts institute indianexpress.com,Thu Mar 04 2010
- ^ For Congress for the New Urbanism award, see Charter Awards: Past Winners Congress for the New Urbanism Official Website
- For American Society of Landscape Architects award, see ASLA Announces 2005 Professional Awards American Society of Landscape Architects Official Website, 7/11/2005
- ^ The 2009 St. Louis Chapter of ASLA Award Winners stlouisasla.org
- ^ "Maharashtra govt gets MoEF order for action against Lavasa". Business Standard. Jun 11, 2011. http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/maharashtra-govt-gets-moef-order-for-action-against-lavasa/438696/.
- ^ Byatnal, Amruta (Feb 18, 2011). "Lavasa under scanner for quarrying". The Hindu (Chennai, India). http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/18/stories/2011021852450500.htm.
- ^ a b Vaidya, Abhay (Dec 26, 2010). "Lavasa trail reinforces the Sharad Pawar connection & IPL link". Pune: DNA. http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/special_lavasa-trail-reinforces-the-sharad-pawar-connection-and-ipl-link_1486204. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
- ^ Lavasa showed higher FSI : Jairam Ramesh's MoEF Committee rtn.asia, 05/24/2011
- ^ [1] Big blow to Lavasa city project, Oct 15, 2011
Categories:- Planned cities in India
- Environmental issues in India
- Cities and towns in Maharashtra
- Western Ghats
- Planned cities
- Resorts in India
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