Adarsh demolition: Onus on society, says Maha official

Mumbai, Jan 17 (PTI) A day after the Environment Ministryrecommended demolition of the 31-storey Adarsh Housing Societybuilding here within three months, a senior MaharashtraGovernment official today said the onus is on the society.

"The Environment Ministry has asked the society todemolish the building. So the onus is on the society," theofficial said.

The society is accused of flouting coastal regulationzone (CRZ) norms and was built on land reserved for Kargil warmartyrs. Kin of politicians and bureaucrats are members of thecontroversial society.

To a query on the state Government''s role in implementingthe decision taken by the Ministry, the official said "thestate Environment Department will take a call on the issue."

The Society has been asked to remove the structure on itsown within three months failing which the Environment Ministrywill be "constrained to enforce this direction and undertakeaction" under sections of the Environment Protection Act, itsaid in its voluminous order.

"Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society has violated the veryspirit of CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone) Notification, 1991 bynot even acknowledging the need for clearance under thisnotification...Ignorance of law can never be an excuse fornon-compliance," Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has said.

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Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavanheld a meeting with officials of the MMRDA, BMC, UrbanDevelopment and the state Environment department to decideover the Union Environment Ministry''s orders on Adarsh.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Chavan said thestate government would wait for specific orders from theEnvironment Ministry, as yesterday''s orders were issued to thesociety only.

"The notice has been given to Adarsh society and not tothe state government. The society has been given three monthsto demolish the building."

Stating that the Maharashtra government has no role toplay in the issue, Chavan said, "Let the orders come to usfrom the Centre." PTI SSGVKV