The Environment Ministry today recommended 31-storey Adarsh Housing Society building should be demolished within three months. The ministry in its final orders on the controversial building said that the scam-tainted project in Mumbai's up market Colaba was unauthorised and violated the spirit of coastal regulations.The ministry order says the unauthorised structure built should be removed in its entirety and the area should be restored to its original condition.Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh in a statement posted on the Ministry's website said Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society has violated the very spirit of CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone) Notification, 1991 by not even acknowledging the need for clearance under this notification. Mr Ramesh said ignorance of law can never be an excuse for non-compliance. Counsel for the Adarsh Society Satish Maneshinde has said, the order would be challenged in the High Court once its copy is available.AIR correspondent reports, the Ministry's final order is based on the report of a panel led by Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Division Advisor Nalini Bhat which said that Adarsh Society had not obtained necessary prior clearance under the CRZ Notification from Maharashtra government after obtaining necessary recommendation from the state Coastal Zone Management Authority.The Adarsh society high-rise was constructed in the posh Colaba locality of Mumbai, which is considered a sensitive coastal area by the defence establishment and houses various key establishments.Congress' Ashok Chavan had to resign as Chief Minister of Maharashtra after it emerged that three of his relatives were members of the housing society.Names of former Army chiefs General Deepak Kapoor and General N C Vij and Navy ex-chief Admiral Madhavendra Singh's names have also cropped up as beneficiaries of the project which was said to be for the benfit of Kargil war widows. The three later announced that they were surrendering their flats. The Maharashtra Government had last week recommended to Governor the suspension of state Information Commissioner Ramanand Tiwari for his role in the Adarsh Housing Society scam. Meanwhile Tiwari today met Governor K. Sankaranarayan and refuted allegations against him. Speaking to reporters he said, he will not step down.A member of the Maharashtra Human Rights Commission Subhash Lalla had also resigned after names of two of his relatives figured among the beneficiaries.The building, originally meant for Kargil war heroes and widows, landed in a controversy after it was found that several senior serving and former Army officers, bureaucrats and kin of politicians were allotted flats in it.Earlier, the Environment Ministry issued a show-cause notice to the society on November 12 last year asking why the multi-storey building should not be demolished for violating environmental norms.Congress defended the decision of the Environment Ministry. Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the decision was based on available material data.