High Court asks KMC to remove garden outside Great Eastern Hotel

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) to remove the garden put up by Lalit Great Eastern Hotel on the pavement.

A PIL was filed in the High Court alleging that because of the garden, people were forced to walk of Waterloo Street and any time an accident may take place. 

The hotel has put up the garden covering a stretch of around 200 metre. It may be recalled that several such gardens set up by shopkeepers and business houses that have come up on Brabourne 

Road forcing pedestrians to walk on the busy thoroughfare. 

As buses and heavy duty vehicles ply on the road, any day an accident may occur. A senior civic official said earlier permission was given to business houses to set up roadside gardens covering a portion of the pavement. 

Such decisions were taken by the erstwhile Left Front controlled board. As the then civic board did not take any concrete plan to beautify the city, the gardens were allowed as a part of city’s beautification drive.

The Trinammol controlled board is no longer giving such permission. The official said as the gardens were not maintained properly, they were soon converted into garbage vats. He said the garden would be removed. 

Lalit Suri purchased Great Eastern Hotel in 2005 for Rs 52 crore. Massive renovation was done to give the century hotel a facelift.