Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court is learnt to have temporarily stayed the tender issued for transferring land near Alipore Zoo for commercial purposes. The bench, comprising Justices Sujoy Pal and Smita Das De, heard the matter in a PIL.
The tender involved 166.50 cottahs of land on 34/A Belvedere Road, opposite the zoo, where facilities like the aquarium, rescue center, staff quarters and quarantine centre are located. WBHIDCO had floated the tender. KMC claimed ownership, but submissions revealed that the land actually belongs to the Bengal Forest department. KMC had failed to prove ownership when a similar tender was issued last year on July 25, 2024.
Additional Solicitor General Ashok Chakraborty highlighted that, under the Indian Constitution’s directive principles and the 1972 Wildlife (Protection) Act, any construction or transfer of zoo land requires prior approval from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA). A three-member central committee recently inspected the zoo and will submit a report on animal welfare, which will inform the court’s future directions.
State AG Kishore Dutta noted that courts usually do not intervene in such decisions. KMC’s lawyers reportedly argued that the land falls under Zone C, allowing commercial use and Cabinet approval was obtained, though central permissions remain pending.