An NGO, which has filed a PIL challenging land allotment to a firm allegedly owned by the business partner of Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel's daughter Anar, today sought to make the Union government a respondent.
The allotment flouted environmental clearance norms too and therefore the Centre should be a party, RTI Activists Sangathan said.
In a rejoinder to Gujarat government's affidavit before the bench of Chief Justice R Subhash Reddy and Justice V M Pancholi, the NGO said the construction area of project exceeded 20,000 sq m, and was within 10 km of Gir sanctuary, so it needed prior environmental clearance (EC) from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest.
But there was no EC, so "the project cannot be permitted to commence."
The company, Wildwoods Resort and Realties (WRR), did not seek permission from Standing Committee of National Board of Wildlife but instead approached Chief Conservator of Forests who can't issue one in the absence of an EC, it stated.
The state government tweaked rules to provide NoC to this firm, to which land was sold at a concessional rate of Rs 15 per sq mt against actual rate of Rs 180 per sq mt, it alleged.
Application by another firm was rejected on the ground that its proposed project fell within 2 km of protected area, citing a resolution dated October 18, 2011, it said.
The respondents Gujarat Government and others sought two weeks' time to file reply to these allegations.
The NGO, headed by Razak Baloch, demanded probe by a judicial committee and quashing of land allotment to WRR which followed an MoU between the Tourism Department and WRR in 2009 for setting up a wildlife resort with investment of Rs 80 crore.
