Kolkata Metro link’s future depends on HC order

KOLKATA: The future of the New Garia-Airport Metro corridor depends on how fast Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), the implementing agency of the project, can resolve a pending legal case. With the lawyers’ ceasework holding up court operations, this could take some time.
Flat owners of Ramdhanu Complex, the main highrise complex standing in the way of the New Garia-Airport Metro link at the beginning of New Town, had moved court late last year to stop the demolition of their homes. Calcutta High Court had refused an “interim stay, order or injunction, as sought for” in the matter that was scheduled to be heard last month. However, the case is yet to be resolved as it is waiting to appear for hearing once the lawyers’ cease-work is over.

Avoiding the main cluster of apartments that must be removed to construct the 1.45km viaduct between Mahishbathan and New Town, RVNL had issued demolition notices to the next three buildings on the route. The construction was stalled seven years ago because the buildings came in the way.

In the case (no W.P.30359 W of 2017) of Buddhiswar Mondal and others, the court had ordered (before the cease-work) that, “since … the acquisition with respect to the plots in question did not arise suddenly within the last couple of days or weeks or within a month or a year, rather it took place and has been continuing since the last seven years and since the purpose of alleged acquisition is for construction of the Metro railway station …any order in this court should not come in the way, save and except for motivating the aggrieved party to come forward to get the compensation amount assessed in accordance with law …”

Mondal, one of the nine petitioners, who moved the high court, told TOIon Saturday: “We had received a notice from RVNL on November 15, 2017, asking us to contact them with records for filing the claims of compensation. That’s when we decided to file a case.”

Ramdhanu Complex secretary Arijit Karmakar said, “We will move the apex court if needed, but cannot accept any compensation amount just like that.” The flat owners said they had started building the three (G+5) blocks, consisting of 16 residential flats and commercial establishments in 2009, two years before Metro authorities had issued the land-acquisition notification.

Rajesh Prasad, executive director, RVNL, replied: “It is not a crisis, but it has to be sorted out.” Prasad admitted, “There are some structures that were constructed before the land notification. It must be addressed separately. For this, the compensation is to be decided by a quasi-judicial body, for which a competent authority has been deputed from the judicial services.”