HC appoints Chief Secy as nodal officer for shifting of Esplanade bus terminus

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has appointed the Chief Secretary of Bengal as the nodal officer to oversee the shifting of the bus terminus from Esplanade. This role involves coordinating with various departments, including municipal authorities, Kolkata Police, Bengal Police and Kolkata Port Trust.

A Division Bench comprising Justice Debanshu Basak and Justice Shampa Sarkar has also designated the PWD Secretary and the KMC Commissioner as nodal officers responsible for the cleaning of the Maidan area. The public interest litigation was filed by Subhas Datta in 2007 and the shifting of the bus terminus was originally ordered by the Calcutta High Court in 2011 and was later upheld by the Supreme Court. Despite over 13 years having passed since the initial order, progress on the relocation has been slow due to coordination issues between various government departments.

A committee with representatives from various departments, including the Army, Police, Public Works Department, Kolkata Port Trust, Metro Railway, Municipalities and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited, was previously formed to address these issues, but the problem remains unresolved.

Transport Secretary Soumitra Mohan had previously submitted an affidavit outlining the government’s plan to operate only CNG and electric buses from Esplanade. Petitioner Subhas Datta on Friday demanded a proper timeline from the state government for the implementation of their plan for which the court has asked the state to formulate a timeline for the rollout of CNG vehicles. Additionally, Datta has sought directions for the timely completion of the multi-level bus terminus at Santragachi, where intra-state and interstate buses are proposed to be relocated.