Hindustan
Times: Calcutta: Sunday, October 07, 2012.
Calcutta High
Court, on Friday, pulled up the West Bengal police and Coal India limited (CIL)
for failing to evict thousands of illegal occupants who have been accused of
causing losses of more than Rs. 6,000 crore to public exchequers by illegally
occupying CIL land and coalmines in Asansol.
Acting chief
justice KJ Sengupta and justice AK Mondal directed the police and CIL to evict
all illegal occupants from the coal belt within two weeks and realise the cost
of eviction from them.
The judges
also took exception to the allegation that state law minister Malay Ghatak had
asked the CIL and the police not to evict the occupants.
"Don't
listen to anyone. Evict the illegal occupants and register FIRs if any person
even attempts to prevent compliance with the court's order," the judges
said.
The directive
came on a PIL filed by advocate Partha Ghosh alleging that thousands of people
had been illegally occupying Coal India land, enjoying free electricity and water
and mining coal for many years.
In response
to a Right To Information (RTI) application, the CIL informed Ghosh that
because of illegal occupation of land and mining, the company had been
suffering losses of about Rs. 6,800 crore every year.
Taking note
of the RTI reply, the high court ordered the disconnection of power lines,
water supply and eviction of the illegal occupants.
The CIL and
the police then filed reports in the court that Ghatak had written to the
company asking it not to evict the occupants because they had no other place to
live.
The state
advocate assured the court that the police would help CIL in evicting the
illegal occupants.
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