Kolkata: The Supreme Court on Monday criticised the West Bengal government for holding up work on Kolkata’s Orange Line Metro corridor, calling its conduct an “obstinate attitude” that stalled a key public infrastructure project.
A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Vipul Pancholi dismissed the state’s plea against a Calcutta High Court order that had cleared the way for limited traffic blockades at Chingrighata to facilitate construction.
Upholding the High Court’s directions, the Supreme Court said there was no legal infirmity in the order and stressed that the project must now proceed within a defined timeline.
The High Court, in its December order, had directed authorities to identify two consecutive weekend nights for traffic restrictions so that metro piers could be erected at the busy junction linking New Garia and Salt Lake Sector V.
It had rejected the state’s contention that such blockades were not feasible during the festive season. During the hearing, the apex court expressed disapproval of the state approaching it against directions meant to expedite a public utility project.
Justice Bagchi pointed to the state’s earlier stand before the High Court that police deployment was constrained due to festival-related duties, remarking that development could not be subordinated in this manner.
The Chief Justice cautioned against politicising infrastructure issues and observed that the High Court had shown restraint despite what he termed significant administrative lapses. He added that such delays reflected a failure to discharge constitutional responsibilities.
The state argued that traffic diversion at the junction posed risks to emergency services, including ambulances and organ transport vehicles and sought more time to put systems in place. The Bench, however, was not persuaded.
The High Court had earlier noted that recurring delays in granting permissions were inflating project costs and denying citizens timely access to essential infrastructure.