The Supreme Court on Monday (March 23) came down heavily on the West Bengal government over delays in the Kolkata Metro project, refusing to interfere with a Calcutta High Court order directing completion of work at Chingrighata on the Orange Line within a fixed deadline.
Dismissing the state’s plea, the court termed its stand a “complete dereliction of constitutional duty” and an “obstinate attempt to stall development”. The bench made it clear that administrative or political considerations cannot be used to delay key infrastructure projects.
Chief Justice of India said, “Do not politicise everything. This is a development issue.”
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“Festival More Important Than Development?”
Justice Joymalya Bagchi sharply criticised the state’s justification that police deployment was constrained due to festivals and other commitments. “You told the High Court we have got festivals to arrange, and so we cannot give police support for constructing. For you, festival is more important than development,” he said.
The court also rejected the argument that elections and the Model Code of Conduct could hinder the project. It noted that the metro project had been envisaged before the code came into force and said, “We will not allow you to create that as another bogey to stop development.”
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Coming down strongly on the administration, the bench observed, “This was a fit case where your chief secretary, DGP should have been subjected to some action,” adding that the state’s conduct reflected a failure to discharge constitutional responsibilities.
In its order, the Supreme Court said the state’s stance “merely exhibits the obstinate attitude of the authority wherein they want to delay and stall the metro rail project in city of Kolkata” and expressed confidence that the work would now be completed in a time-bound manner.
