Kolkata, Jan 3 A Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court on Friday directed the competent authorities to ensure that the enemy properties in Kolkata were made encroachment-free immediately.
Enemy properties refer to properties in India that were owned by people who shifted to Pakistan or China after the Partition and became citizens there.
The Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court’s Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya on Monday clearly said that the encroachers residing illegally at these enemy properties should be evicted immediately without further delay.
The Division Bench also directed the private power distribution utility CESC Limited to immediately disconnect power connection to the illegal constructions on enemy properties.
As per the order, the Calcutta Municipal Corporation, CESC Limited and Kolkata Police will be jointly responsible to carry out the exercise of making such enemy properties in the city encroachment-free.
The corporation has also been directed by the court to disconnect water connection to the illegal constructions there.
The Division Bench also directed the competent authorities to submit a progress report in the matter to the court by February 28.
The order was passed on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the matter highlighting those enemy properties that have been encroached upon and illegal constructions done with people residing there illegally.
A total of eight such enemy properties were highlighted in the PIL, all in North Kolkata.
In the PIL it was claimed that illegal constructions on such enemy properties were done without getting sanction from the buildings department of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
During the hearing in the matter on Friday, the counsel for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation informed the court that there was a requirement for police assistance for freeing the enemy properties of encroachment by evicting squatters and demolishing the illegal constructions on them.
Thereafter, the Division Bench directed the inclusion of the Kolkata Police in the team to implement the order.
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