Click to play videoMumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan denied acting under political pressure on the Lavasa issue. Speaking exclusively to CNN-IBN, he said he worked according to the rules.
Chavan's statement came hours after the Environment Ministry gave the controversial hill city project a go-ahead.
He said that there was a misconception that political heavyweights pushed for the clearance announced in the court, maintaining that the meeting between the NCP leadership and the Congress and the time of the court order was just a mere co-incidence.
"Its just the co-incidence and nothing could be more far from the truth. My going to Delhi, the meeting that I had with Pawar or with the Environment Minister or the meeting which the NCP leadership had with the Congress leadership; because I'm not privy to that meeting. But this is all co-incidence that things happened at that time that this court order came," Chavan said.
Chavan also said that the government is run by the rules made by Parliament. He added that there is always a possibility that the high court's ruling be revoked.
"That is the position of the law, we ultimately run the country, run the government by the rules of law made by Parliament. When the expert committee was sent to Lavasa they said 'we are willing to give clearance to Lavasa phase one'. Now after having met those conditions even if someone commits a heinous crime; after he's punished and goes through the punishment he's released; so if they have done something wrong and if the law permits, then they should act as per the law. There are court cases going on there are NGOs...even the permission given by the ministry of environment is being challenged in high court by the NGOs. The high court will give its rule, even the permission given by the high court can be revoked by the Supreme Court. But, let there be rule of law," he said.
He said that if the environment ministry thinks the conditions set by them are not fulfilled by Lavasa, they should not give the project clearance.
"Let the rule of law prevail, if environment ministry's conditionalities are fulfilled to the best of their satisfaction, they should act. If they think they've not been fulfilled, they should not give clearance," he maintained.
The Union Environment Ministry gave conditional clearance to Lavasa on Wednesday, though the case is still in court.
The Lavasa township got the clearance to the Environment Ministry, subject to additional conditions, after several months of being mired in controversy. It's a project that has seen many legal twists and turns in the last two years.
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