New Delhi: Lafarge, the French cement giant, has landed in trouble again with green clearances, this time for a project in Himachal Pradesh. The French company intends to set up a 3-millionton-per-annum cement and 2-million-tonner-per-annum clinker plant along with a captive limestone mine of 3 million tonne per annum in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. In June 2009, the company got the environmental clearance for the project. But the company, which has faced similar problems in Meghalaya, was taken to court. A petitioner from the affected village filed a case before the National Environment Appellate Authority against the plant. Among other things, they alleged that the plant was coming up within 10km of a wildlife sanctuary. Such proximity is not allowed without the permission of the National Wildlife board, which Lafarge had not sought. The NEAA cancelled the clearance given to the project after a site visit. Lafarge then went to the Himachal high Court pleading against the cancellation of the environmental clearance. At the high court, the petitioners have claimed that Lafarge hid the fact that its proposed cement plant was close to a wildlife sanctuary, which was later affirmed by the state forest department as well as the statutory Forest Advisory Committee of the Union environment ministry and finally by the appellate authority. The Majathal Wildlife Sanctuary falls within 5km of the plant site, NEAA had concluded. Lafarge has contested the claim besides arguing against the petitioner