Residents of Shinde village, along with social activists, maintain that there is a clause in the MoU that the company signed with the State government in October 2007 which states that the company is entitled to undertake manufacturing activities at the Pune centre. When asked whether copies of the same could be provided, Rakesh Chitkara, director, corporate affairs, said, “We all know about the Right To Information (RTI) Act. Anybody is welcome to use it. Only the executive summary of the project can be shared with the public. But we will be happy to furnish any information that the Government asks for.”

About the composition of the committee headed by Principal Secretary to the Ministry of Environment, Shyamlal Goyal, Sanglikar said, “The committee was set up by the State government. The company has no role in deciding its members.”

Sanglikar, who said the Chakan centre would focus purely on research and development and it was not a manufacturing facility, added the Pune facility would follow “environment-friendly” procedures and abide by all government norms. “The centre will be ‘zero-discharge’ - all hazardous waste will be disposed of in an eco-friendly manner.”