The Calcutta High Court on Friday refused to pass any interim order on a PIL seeking immediate clearance of the arterial Durgapur Expressway, which is under siege following the indefinite dharna by the Trinamool Congress at Singur.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice S S Nijjar and Justice Dipankar Dutta, declining to pass any order before hearing out the matter, directed the West Bengal government and the petitioner to file affidavits stating their positions in this regard.
The state government would have to file its affidavit within two weeks and the petitioner in another week.
The matter would be heard by the bench after three weeks.
Stating that the West Bengal government and the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had failed to ensure free movement of traffic on the expressway (NH-2) connecting Delhi and several other north Indian cities to Kolkata, petitioner Rana Pratap Sarkar demanded that action be taken to remove the blockade.
Claiming that blocking of a national highway was a criminal offence and punishable under the country's laws, the petitioner sought the court's direction to the state to ensure immediate removal of the impediment and to ensure free movement of traffic.
Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee is holding a dharna since Sunday before the Tata Motors small car plant at Singur on the Durgapur Expressway demanding return of 400 acres of land to the farmers, who are unwilling to part with their land for the project.
{{/usCountry}}Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee is holding a dharna since Sunday before the Tata Motors small car plant at Singur on the Durgapur Expressway demanding return of 400 acres of land to the farmers, who are unwilling to part with their land for the project.
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