Calcutta High Court (Appellete Side)
Debu Maity & Anr vs State Of West Bengal & Ors on 20 March, 2025
20.03.2025
Item No.02
RP
Ct. No.01
WPA(P) 491 of 2024
Debu Maity & Anr.
Vs.
State of West Bengal & Ors.
Mr. Uday Sankar Bhattacharya
Mr. Dilip Kumar Sinha
Mr. Pradip Kumar
Ms. Banani Bhattacharya
....For Petitioners
Mr. Sk. Md. Galib, Sr. Adv.
Ms. Sujata Mukherjee
....For State
Mr. Anikt Sureka
Mr. Partha Sarathi Pal
....For Registrar of Cooperative Society
Mr. Ovik Sengupta
Mr. Vijay verma
....For Respondent No.3
Ms. Deblina Chattaraj ....For Respondent No.4
1. This public interest litigation has been filed concerning the larger section of public, more particularly, persons employed in various government establishments as well as the High Court at Calcutta, who are unable to cross the river Hooghly as the jetty at Shibpur Ghat has been damaged. Earlier, we had issued certain directions so that the authorities can give some relief to the people, who are hitherto using the jetty at Shibpur Ghat to enable them to come to work.
2. The Managing Director of the West Bengal Transport Corporation has filed a report dated 18.03.2025 in 2 which it has been stated that the repairing work of Shibpur jetty has been commenced and the work order has been issued and it will be completed within 30 days. An inspection has also been conducted in the nearby jetty at Ramkrishnapur Ghat and it has been noted that the condition of the said jetty is not satisfactory and a sum of Rs.21.35 lacs is the likely costs to be incurred and it is stated that the matter is under process. As this Court had in earlier order had made an observation that the authorities to examine the feasibility of running bus services between Shibpur & Ramkrishnapur jetty in the interregnum, the report states that the distance between those two jetties is only two Kilometer and there is a regular 'TOTO' service. In addition to that there is also one existing private bus service between those two jetties and for such a short distance, new bus route is not feasible.
3. In our considered view, the stand taken in paragraph 4 of the report appears to be neither here nor there. The suggestion, which fell from this Court, was to make an interim arrangement and not to sanction a new bus route. If the Transport Corporation has additional buses in the morning and evening hours alone shuttle bus services can be operated for two kilometer. However, such suggestion appears to have not well taken by the Managing Director of the 3 West Bengal Transport Corporation. In fact, one of us (T.S. Sivagnanam, CJ) also had certain other experience in the Appellate Side while dealing with the demand raised by the West Bengal Transport Corporation. We say nothing more about that. Let the repair work be completed within the time stipulated with regular supervision of the authority of the Transport Corporation and once again reiterated that the Transport Corporation can consider operating shuttle bus service for two kilometer distance in the interregnum by using government buses.
4. With the above observation, this writ petition is disposed of.
(T.S SIVAGNANAM) CHIEF JUSTICE (CHAITALI CHATTERJEE (DAS), J.)