Maruti Suzuki has suspended construction work at its planned R&D facility in Rohtak, in India’s Haryana state.
The facility was expected to become operational by 2015 but now is on hold as the state government prosecuted the company for commencing construction without obtaining an environmental clearance, the Economic Times said.
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“As the matter is pending with the court, it will be inappropriate for us to comment in the matter,” a Maruti spokesman said told the paper.
The Haryana government first took action against the company in March under the Environment Protection Act of 1986. On 26 May, the Delhi High Court directed the state government “not to initiate any criminal action” against Maruti or its board members and officials, after submissions from the company. The court had also asked Maruti to obtain a post-facto environmental clearance for the construction of the project though it said the firm could not have acted with malafide intent in not for the clearance as there was no “authoritative judgement on the issue”.
Now the Haryana State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority has filed an appeal against this verdict.
