The Calcutta High Court has recently directed authorities in West Bengal to consider the representation made by landowners to donate land for building a path to the centre being built for children with speech and hearing impairments.
Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) against the construction of infrastructure for a mass education literacy programme for children with speech and hearing impairments, the Division Bench of Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya observed that the villagers had been utilizing a public property, which was unutilized for a considerable period, for ingress and egress. The petitioners had sought a court direction to create a pathway along the infrastructure for easy access to their properties.
The authorities were directed to submit a progress report to the court within two weeks after the Christmas vacation.
The petitioners said the authority had constructed the infrastructure, leaving the villagers with an alternative, albeit inconvenient, access route. The court noted that several adjoining landowners had made a representation to donate a portion of their land to provide a pathway, but the authority had not responded.
The court held that while the purpose of utilizing public land for the education programme was laudable, the authority must also consider the convenience and inconvenience of the local inhabitants.
The court refused to stay the construction, as the villagers had an alternative access route. The matter was listed for further hearing on January 16, 2025.