Lavasa
Encyclopedia
Lavasa is a private, planned city being built near Pune.
A 25000 acres (101.2 km²) or 8000 acres (32.4 km²) project being developed by HCC
, this as-yet-incomplete city has been controversial for multiple reasons including procurement of land, harm to the environment, and loans acquired through political corruption
.
In late 2010 the Indian Environment and Forests Ministry requested that construction cease because the project violated environmental laws.
since Independence
, this private city is being constructed by a unit of Ajit Gulabchand
's Hindustan Construction Company
, Lavasa Corporation.
Land:
The area demarcated for Lavasa is located near Pune
in the Mose valley of the Western Ghats
.
Lavasa Corporation:
Currently majority owned by Hindustan Construction Company
, Lavasa Corporation is responsible for the construction of the city. It is preparing to make an initial public offering
, although this has been temporarily postponed.
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.
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%).
Current progess:
As of 2011 four hotels and a city centre have been completed.
Sports facilities:
Planned sports facilities include a Nick Faldo
-designed golf course, a Manchester City
-branded football academy, and a Hockey Australia
hockey academy.
Theme park:
A theme park over 65 acre (0.2630459 km²) in size is planned.
University:
Lavasa will host at least one university. Initially Lavasa had a partnership with Oxford University, but by 2010 this British institution had removed itself from the project. As of 2010, Symbiosis International University is planning to set up a new liberal arts college campus at the township.
Other facilities:
A 200 acre health and wellness center and an herb plantation are also planned.
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.
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.
School:
A primary, middle, and high school, Le Mont High allows children of Lavasa residents to be educated inside the city's walls.
Future university:
Lavasa will host at least one university. Initially Lavasa had a partnership with Oxford University, but by 2010 this British institution had removed itself from the project. As of 2010, Symbiosis International University is planning to set up a new liberal arts college campus at the township.
. In 2009 the St. Louis chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects recognized the Lavasa landscape master plan with a merit award.
A report by the Maharashtra
environment department claims 600 hectares (6 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 (1.4 km²) of Lavasa were leased for far less than actual value by the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation and that Lavasa bought 98 hectare (0.98 km²) of land without license.
Some say land Lavasa is being built on was obtained through coercion. Lavasa Corporation denies this.
, 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. A daughter and son-in-law of Pawar had more than 20% ownership between 2002 and 2004 and later sold their stakes. 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.
, and it is claimed that this will cause a supply shortage. 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.
In late 2010 it ordered Lavasa Corporation to halt further construction.
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.
A 25000 acres (101.2 km²) or 8000 acres (32.4 km²) project being developed by HCC
Hindustan Construction Company
Hindustan Construction Company is a construction company based in Mumbai, India, founded in 1926. HCC works in various sectors including transportation, power, marine, oil and gas pipeline construction, irrigation, utilities and urban infrastructure. HCC specializes in large-scale civil...
, this as-yet-incomplete city has been controversial for multiple reasons including procurement of land, harm to the environment, and loans acquired through political corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
.
In late 2010 the Indian Environment and Forests Ministry requested that construction cease because the project violated environmental laws.
History
Billed as India's first hill stationHill station
A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia , but also in Africa , for towns founded by European colonial rulers as refuges from the summer heat, up where temperatures are cooler...
since Independence
Indian independence movement
The term Indian independence movement encompasses a wide area of political organisations, philosophies, and movements which had the common aim of ending first British East India Company rule, and then British imperial authority, in parts of South Asia...
, this private city is being constructed by a unit of Ajit Gulabchand
Ajit Gulabchand
Ajit Gulabchand is an Indian industrialist. Gulabchand is currently the chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Construction Company. Gulabchand serves as chairman of the board of governance at National Institute of Construction Management & Research and as Chairman of Walchand College of...
's Hindustan Construction Company
Hindustan Construction Company
Hindustan Construction Company is a construction company based in Mumbai, India, founded in 1926. HCC works in various sectors including transportation, power, marine, oil and gas pipeline construction, irrigation, utilities and urban infrastructure. HCC specializes in large-scale civil...
, Lavasa Corporation.
Land:
The area demarcated for Lavasa is located near Pune
Pune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
in the Mose valley of the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
.
Lavasa Corporation:
Currently majority owned by Hindustan Construction Company
Hindustan Construction Company
Hindustan Construction Company is a construction company based in Mumbai, India, founded in 1926. HCC works in various sectors including transportation, power, marine, oil and gas pipeline construction, irrigation, utilities and urban infrastructure. HCC specializes in large-scale civil...
, Lavasa Corporation is responsible for the construction of the city. It is preparing to make an initial public offering
Initial public offering
An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...
, although this has been temporarily postponed.
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.
Ownership:
As of late 2010 ownership of Lavasa Corporation is Hindustan Construction Company
Hindustan Construction Company
Hindustan Construction Company is a construction company based in Mumbai, India, founded in 1926. HCC works in various sectors including transportation, power, marine, oil and gas pipeline construction, irrigation, utilities and urban infrastructure. HCC specializes in large-scale civil...
(64.99%), Avantha Group (16.25%), Venkateshwara Hatcheries (12.8%), and individual investor Vinay Vithal Maniar (6%).
Current progess:
As of 2011 four hotels and a city centre have been completed.
Plans
While some sections are complete, construction of Lavasa will not be finished before 2020. Total population when complete will be an estimated 200,000. When complete it will comprise four or five towns built on seven hills. The first of these, Dasve, was supposed to be complete by 2010. Mugaon, the second, may be finished by 2013.Sports facilities:
Planned sports facilities include a Nick Faldo
Nick Faldo
Sir Nicholas Alexander "Nick" Faldo, MBE is an English professional golfer on the European Tour who now mainly works as an on air golf analyst. Over his career, he has won six majors: three Open Championships and three Masters. He was ranked the World No...
-designed golf course, a Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
-branded football academy, and a Hockey Australia
Hockey Australia
Hockey Australia is an organisation that formed from the merger of the Australian Hockey Association and Women's Hockey Australia in 2000. It is the national body responsible for the promotion, development and administration of field hockey in Australia...
hockey academy.
Theme park:
A theme park over 65 acre (0.2630459 km²) in size is planned.
University:
Lavasa will host at least one university. Initially Lavasa had a partnership with Oxford University, but by 2010 this British institution had removed itself from the project. As of 2010, Symbiosis International University is planning to set up a new liberal arts college campus at the township.
Other facilities:
A 200 acre health and wellness center and an herb plantation are also planned.
CSR
Lavasa Corporation has initiated a number of CSRCorporate social responsibility
Corporate social responsibility is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model...
programs that target Lavasa and its environs. These include providing vocational training and employment opportunities for locals already living near Lavasa and hosting Diwali
Diwali
Diwali or DeepavaliThe name of the festival in various regional languages include:, , , , , , , , , , , , , popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-December for different reasons...
festivities for primary school students from nearby villages.
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.
School:
A primary, middle, and high school, Le Mont High allows children of Lavasa residents to be educated inside the city's walls.
Future university:
Lavasa will host at least one university. Initially Lavasa had a partnership with Oxford University, but by 2010 this British institution had removed itself from the project. As of 2010, Symbiosis International University is planning to set up a new liberal arts college campus at the township.
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 ArchitectsAmerican Society of Landscape Architects
The American Society of Landscape Architects is the national professional association representing landscape architects, with more than 17,000 members in 48 chapters, representing all 50 states, U.S. territories, and 42 countries around the world, plus 68 student chapters...
. In 2009 the St. Louis chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects recognized the Lavasa landscape master plan with a merit award.
Bribes for loans
Lavasa Corporation is accused of benefiting from loans obtained through bribery.Environmental damage
An Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests team investigating Lavasa concluded the city has caused environmental damage.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.Land acquisition
Both government and individual land owners displaced have taken issue with Lavasa's land acquisition approach.A report by the Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
environment department claims 600 hectares (6 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 (1.4 km²) of Lavasa were leased for far less than actual value by the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation and that Lavasa bought 98 hectare (0.98 km²) of land without license.
Some say land Lavasa is being built on was obtained through coercion. Lavasa Corporation denies this.
Nepotism
Sharad PawarSharad Pawar
Sharadchandra Govindrao Pawar , popularly known as SAHEB , is the president of the Nationalist Congress Party which he founded in 1999, after separating from the Indian National Congress...
, 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. A daughter and son-in-law of Pawar had more than 20% ownership between 2002 and 2004 and later sold their stakes. 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.
Use of water resources
Lavasa will use the same water resources that currently supply PunePune
Pune , is the eighth largest metropolis in India, the second largest in the state of Maharashtra after Mumbai, and the largest city in the Western Ghats. Once the centre of power of the Maratha Empire, it is situated 560 metres above sea level on the Deccan plateau at the confluence of the Mula ...
, and it is claimed that this will cause a supply shortage. 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.
Orders to Halt Construction
Construction on Lavasa has been suspended due to allegations made by the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests. This Ministry contends Lavasa did not obtain necessary central government approval obtaining clearance only from the state of Maharashtra instead.In late 2010 it ordered Lavasa Corporation to halt further construction.
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.