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Demolish Adarsh society in 3 months: Environment Ministry

Last updated on: January 16, 2011 14:48 IST

The 31-storey Adrash Housing Society building should be demolished within three months, the Environment Ministry recommended on Sunday while holding that the scam-tainted project in Mumbai's upmarket Colaba was "unauthorised" and violated the spirit of coastal regulations.

The Environment Ministry in its final orders on the controversial building, in which flats were doled out to politicians, top defence personnel and bureaucrats as well as their kin, said, "The unauthorised structure built should be removed in its entirety and the area should be restored to its original condition."

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Demolish Adarsh society in 3 months: Environment Ministry

Last updated on: January 16, 2011 14:48 IST

Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh

The Adarsh Society has been asked to remove the structure on its own within three months failing which the environment ministry will be "constrained to enforce this direction and undertake action" under sections of the Environment Protection Act, it said in its voluminous order.

"The Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society has violated the very spirit of Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 1991 by not even acknowledging the need for clearance under this notification Ignorance of law an never be an excuse for non-compliance," Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said in a statement posted on the Ministry's website.

Demolish Adarsh society in 3 months: Environment Ministry

Last updated on: January 16, 2011 14:48 IST

Ashok Chavan was forced to resign as Maharashtra CM over the Adarsh scam

The Environment Ministry had earlier served a notice to the society asking it why the illegal floors in the building should not be demolished.

The Adarsh scam claimed its first victim last year in the form of Ashok Chavan who was forced to resign as Maharashtra Chief Minister after reports surfaced that his kin owned flats in the society.

After Chavan, top bureaucrats too faced the axe, most notably among them being Maharashtra''s Chief Information Commissioner Ramanand Tiwari and Human Rights Commissioner Subhash K Lalla.

Demolish Adarsh society in 3 months: Environment Ministry

Last updated on: January 16, 2011 14:48 IST

Adarsh Housing Society was originally being built for Kargil war heroes

Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has announced a judicial probe into the Adarsh scam. He said that the commission would submit its report to the government within three months.

The 31-storey Adarsh Housing Society, originally meant for Kargil war heroes, landed in controversy after media reports said that several politicians, bureaucrats and defence personnel owned flats there.

The Central Bureau of Investigation had on November 15 registered a Preliminary Enquiry to probe the alleged role of former and serving Army officers, with the permission of Defence Minister A K Antony.