HC ticks off KMC for failing to take possession of plot

The Calcutta High Court today expressed its displeasure at the city police's failure to take possession of a plot of land which had been acquired by Kolkata Municipal Corporation at Naktala in the southern part of the metropolis.
Justice Jyotirmoy Bhattacharya, taking exception of the Kolkata Police Commissioner not being able to comply with his order of October 14, said that if the city police expresses its inability, then the court can ask the army authorities to carry out the order.
Justice Bhattacharya had directed the city Police Commissioner to take possession of a plot of land and hand it over to its owner Leena Dutta.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation had taken over the land from her in 2002 for a project, but as it had not been completed, Dutta had moved the high court in 2013 praying that the plot be handed back to her.
In the meantime, a local club had come up on the land and was also being used as a playground.
Holding that KMC was illegally holding on to the land, Justice Bhattacharya had asked it to hand over the land back to Dutta, the original owner.

City Police Commissioner Surajit Kar Purakayastha, on an order of Justice Bhattacharya, had gone to take possession of the land for handing it over to the owner earlier this month.

However, leaders of the club had prevented the police from taking over the land and the Commissioner had to return empty-handed.
Following this, Dutta moved court again today.
Justice Bhattacharya directed the KMC and the Kolkata Police Commissioner to decide on its next course of action and inform the court on January 14 when the matter would be heard again.
Justice Bhattacharya observed that the police should have taken proper action and arrested those who prevented it from carrying out the court order.
The court said that if the police is unable to carry out its order, then it would have to think of other ways of ensuring compliance and that it may even think of asking the Army authorities for assistance.

The court also said that if the KMC attempts to scuttle compliance of the order by dilly-dallying, then steps may be contemplated against it also.