Lavasa's personal attack on me is unfair: Ramesh

Stung by Lavasa's "unfair attack", Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh today said there was "no prejudice" involved in his ministry's show-cause notice to the company for constructing a hilly project near Pune and it need not fear if it had followed the rules.

"Lavasa is attacking me personally. It is unfair and unfortunate," he said, a day after the firm, a unit of Hindustan Construction Company, said the show-cause notice was issued under the pressure of political activists such as Medha Patkar "without following any principles of natural justice".

Last week, the Ministry had slapped a show-cause notice on Lavasa for carrying out construction works at its 25,000 hectare hill-city project without the ministry's approval. It had said that the construction was carried out above 1,000 metres of sea level against the permitted range of 640-900 metres.

Contending that he had "no personal position", Ramesh said, "I am not the issue. Law is the issue. If they have followed rules, they have nothing to fear."

He insisted that there is "no witch-hunt" or "prejudice" and his "conscience is clear". On future action, Ramesh said the Ministry is studying the response sent by Lavasa.