HC stays order cancelling land acquisition for East-West Metro project

A division bench of the Calcutta High Court today stayed an order passed by a single bench cancelling the land acquisition process at Bowbazar for the East-West Metro Railway Project. The move paves the way for resumption of work for the project.

The division bench headed by Chief Justice Arun Mishra said it would hear the appeal filed by the state government on April 3.

Hearing a petition filed by Central Calcutta Citizens Welfare Association, an organisation of affected tenants, Justice Jyotirmoy Bhattacharjee had on September 11, 2012, cancelled the land acquisition process initiated by the state government for the East-West Metro on the ground that the land award passed in November 2011 was illegal. Justice Bhattacharjee had also directed the state government to return the possession of those tenants within two weeks.

Following the order, the work on the East-West Metro was stalled and the state government prepared to move the division bench challenging the order.

In September last year, the project was under the state transport department. In November, the project was handed over to the Railway Board. On January 17, 2013, a counsel of the state government moved the division bench challenging the order of the single bench. Then it was revealed that the transport department had informed the High Court on January 4, 2013, that it wanted to withdraw the appeal. The division bench of Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Joymalya Bagchi commented on the lack of coordination between the two departments.

On January 17, the case was adjourned and the division bench asked the state's counsel to take instruction, following which the case came up for hearing on three occasions. Today a counsel of the state urged the division bench to stay the order passed by the single bench and the plea was granted.

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