Don't let Lonavala-Khandala lose charm: Court warns against unchecked development
Senior advocate Fredun DeVitre, appearing for the petitioners, argued that despite being part of the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats, Lonavala's civic body failed to uphold its basic responsibilities under Article 21 of the Constitution, the Right to Life and Clean Environment.The petition sought directions to implement waste and sewage plans, demolish illegal structures, and regulate future construction based on hydrological and infrastructure assessments.The petitions were filed over a decade ago and directed the formation of an expert committee in 2014 to scrutinise new development permissions.The petitioners accepted that the expert committee appointed by the Court and the municipal council have been working in tandem for the last decade, to ensure that all large projects are permitted only after ensuring that adequate infrastructure is available in the region. It is accepted that some progress has been made on the infrastructural front in the region.The bench, after hearing all parties, said, "At some stage, the municipal council and the state government need to put a proper infrastructural framework in place to ensure maintenance of the ecology of the region."The bench expressed trust and hope that the Lonavala-Khandala Municipal Council will fulfil its statutory duties by providing the necessary infrastructure for water and sanitation, and take prompt action against unauthorised constructions."The broad objective behind proper town planning is to satisfy the needs of future generations and to prevent the haphazard growth of urban agglomerations. While making a development plan with respect to a city, town or a region, a balancing act is performed to ensure that the aspirations of residents for better housing are balanced with the available infrastructure. When it comes to ecologically sensitive areas, the town planning norms must have regard to the special environmental needs of the region," the bench added.advertisementThe bench noted that since Lonavala Municipal Council is in the process of preparing of new development plan, the existing mechanism of processing of development proposals through Court appointed expert committee can continue to operate till the new development plan and the new Development Control Regulations are sanctioned by the state government."This would ensure that uncontrolled development based on existing dated DCRs does not occur during the gap period," the bench noted.- EndsTune InMust Watch
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