A local court here Tuesday asked three members of the realty major Hiranandani family to appear before it Feb 22 on a complaint alleging the environmental clearance to their power plant in Pune was obtained illegally. Vadgaon judicial magistrate (first class) asked Niranjan Hirandandani, Darshan Hiranandani and Kamal Hiranandani to appear before it along with their managers and employees, on a criminal complaint filed by local group, Navlakh Umbre Paryavaran Parisar Vikas Sangh alleging that the state environment authorities in collusion with the Hiranandanis had granted illegal clearance to the company’s power plant project without possessing the requisite jurisdiction to do so.
Hiranandani Group spokesperson Bipin Gajra, however, denied knowledge of any such court order.
“The matter did come up in the Bombay High Court over three months back but the company was granted permission to resume work on the power plant at the said site,” Gajra said.
“But, I will have to consult the legal team as to whether the Hiranandanis and the employees of the company have to directed to appear before the magistrate’s court in Vadgaon,” he added.
As per the complaint filed by the Sangh, Hindustan Electricity Generation Company Pvt. Ltd. (HEGCPL) had proposed to set-up a 2,500 MW power project in village Navlakh Umbre at Maval taluka of Pune.
“On the strength of such invalid clearance, the company had carried out large-scale devastation of the area, its topography and the river system,” alleged P. N. Mavale, secretary of the Sangh.
The complaint also names authorities and members of State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) and the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) as accused.