Flouting green norms, govt cleared Thane’s Kalu dam

Bureaucrats involved in the commissioning of the Kalu dam project in Thane district not only handed over the contract to a firm that did not have the financial and technical capabilities, they also knowingly violated environment laws, Ketaki Ghoge reports.

Bureaucrats involved in the commissioning of the Kalu dam project in Thane district not only handed over the contract to a firm that did not have the financial and technical capabilities, as reported in HT’s September 6 edition, they also knowingly violated environment laws.

HT Image

The Bombay high court stayed work on the dam this March as it did not have clearance from the Union environment ministry.

Project documents with HT show that officials neglected to get the clearance, needed as the dam will submerge 1,400 hectares of forest land.

Documents reveal that on August 12, 2009, in a pre-tender conference with contractors, engineers from the state’s water resources department agreed to hike the project cost because of cost overruns owing to time taken in getting a nod from the ministry.

Minutes of the meeting show that contractors said forest clearance would require three to four years, after which work could begin.

However, after hiking the project cost in 2010, officials allowed FA Enterprises to commence work without the clearance.