Reportable

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION

CIVIL APPEAL NO.   7785        OF 2011 (Arising out of S.L.P. (C) NO.9154 OF 2008)

  State of West Bengal                               … Appellant

Versus

Howrah Ganatantrik Nagarik Samity  & Ors.                                                     … Respondents

O R D E R

A. K. PATNAIK, J.

Delay condoned.  Leave granted.

2. This is an appeal against the order dated 28.09.2007  

of  the Division Bench of  the Calcutta High Court  in  

Writ Petition No. 7987 (W) of 2002.

3. The facts very briefly are that during the British rule,  

Victoria  Memorial  Hall  was  built  in  the  memory  of  

Queen  Victoria  in  Central  Kolkata.   After  

independence, this monument continues to be known  

for its beautiful architecture and green surroundings.

To the north of the Victoria Memorial Hall is a huge  

stretch of land known as ‘the Maidan’ which is covered  

by green grass and interspersed with a large number of  

trees, bushes and shrubs.  At the end of about 2 kms.  

of  this  greenery  is  the  Esplanade  where  another  

monument known as the ‘Sahid Minar’ stands, and by  

the  side  of  the  Sahid  Minar is  a  bus terminus.   To  

protect and preserve the Victoria Memorial Hall and its  

green surroundings,  a  public  interest  litigation  (Writ  

Petition No. 7987(W) of 2002) was filed in the Calcutta  

High Court by the respondent nos. 1 to 5.

4.   After hearing all concerned parties and considering  

the concerned affidavits and counter-affidavits as well  

as  recommendations  of  expert  bodies  including  the  

National  Environmental  Engineering  Research  

Institute (for short ‘NEERI’), the High Court  inter alia  

directed in the impugned order that the bus terminus  

at Esplanade be shifted to a distant place within six  

months.  Aggrieved by this direction in the impugned  

order, the State of West Bengal is in appeal before us.

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5. Learned counsel for the appellant submitted that the  

High  Court  could  not  have  issued  directions  to  the  

State Government to shift the bus terminus located at  

Esplanade, which had been in existence for more than  

six decades only on the recommendation of NEERI.  He  

submitted that lakhs of people every day arrive at and  

depart from the bus terminus at Esplanade and this is  

because the bus terminus is located in a central area  

of  Kolkata.   He  submitted  that  shifting  of  the  bus  

terminus  from  Esplanade  will  thus  cause  immense  

inconvenience  to  the  traveling  public.   He  further  

submitted that the bus terminus is situated 2 kms. to  

the north of Victoria Memorial Hall and does not at all  

damage  this  historic  monument.   The  High  Court,  

therefore,  was  not  right  in  thinking  that  for  

preservation of the Victoria Memorial Hall, shifting of  

the bus terminus was necessary.  

6. The  respondent  no.2,  who  appeared  in-person  on  

behalf of respondent no. 1, on the other hand, relied  

on  the  recommendation  of  NEERI  that  the  bus  

terminus at Esplanade area should be shifted from the  

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existing  location.  He  submitted  that  the  High  Court  

was, therefore, right in directing the shifting of the bus  

terminus  from  Esplanade  within  six  months.   He  

submitted that this is not a fit case in which this Court  

should interfere with the impugned order of the High  

Court.

7. We have considered the submissions made on behalf of  

the appellant  and the respondents  and we find that  

NEERI  has  suggested  some  long  term measures  for  

preservation of the Victoria Memorial Hall in Para 5.2  

of its report.  The relevant portion of Para 5.2 of the  

report of NEERI  is quoted hereinbelow:

“5.2    LONG-TERM MEASURES

Diversion of Heavy Road Traffic on the Road  Encircling the VM Monument.

The  pollution  from  auto  exhaust  is  the  most  important  causative  factor  when  the  Victoria  Memorial  protection  from  atmospheric  environment is considered.  Therefore, the traffic  on  roads  around  the  VM  should  be  minimum  particularly  complete  banning  of  heavy  traffic.  Bus  terminus  at  Esplanade  Area  (Commercial)  should also be shifted from the existing location.”

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8. It  will  be  clear  from the  recommendation  of  NEERI,  

quoted  above,  that  shifting  of  the  bus  terminus  at  

Esplanade  area  has  been  suggested  by  NEERI  as  a  

long-term measure and not as an immediate measure.  

A  bus  terminus,  where  lakhs  of  people  arrive  and  

depart through different buses, if shifted immediately,  

will  cause  a  lot  of  inconvenience  to  the  traveling  

public.  Moreover, before the bus terminus is shifted  

from  Esplanade,  another  suitable  place  has  to  be  

found out to which the bus terminus can be shifted  

and various conveniences have to be provided for the  

traveling  public  at  the  new  bus  terminus.   All  this  

cannot be done within a period of  six months.  The  

High Court, therefore, was not justified in directing in  

the  impugned  order  that  the  bus  terminus  at  

Esplanade be shifted within six months.

9.  The  recommendation  of  the  NEERI,  quoted  above,  

however,  is  emphatic  that  auto exhaust  is  the  most  

important  causative  factor  polluting  the  atmospheric  

environment around Victoria Memorial Hall.  For this  

reason,  NEERI  has recommended that  the  traffic  on  

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roads  around  the  Victoria  Memorial  Hall  should  be  

minimum  and  the  bus  terminus  at  Esplanade  area  

should be shifted from the existing location.  Hence,  

even though the bus terminus is located 2 kms. away  

from Victoria Memorial Hall the auto-exhaust from a  

large  number  of  buses  at  the  bus  terminus  would  

pollute  the  atmospheric  environment  around  the  

Victoria Memorial Hall.  In M.C. Mehta v. Union of India  

&  Ors.  [(1997)  2  SCC 353],  this  Court  has  directed  

relocation  industries  from Taj  Trapezium Zone  (TTZ)  

for  protection  and  preservation  of  the  Taj  Mahal  in  

Agra.   The  recommendation  by  NEERI  that  the  bus  

terminus should be shifted from Esplanade area as a  

long-term measure to protect and preserve the Victoria  

Memorial  Hall,  deserves  serious  consideration,  not  

only to preserve the monument but to de-congest the  

city.  

10.   We  accordingly  modify  the  impugned order  of  the  

High  Court  and  direct  the  State  Government  to  

consider  and  take  appropriate  action  on  the  NEERI  

report  recommending relocation of  the  bus terminus  

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away from the Esplanade.  The appeal is allowed to the  

extent indicated above. No order as to costs.  

.……………………….J.                                                             (R. V. Raveendran)

………………………..J.                                                             (A. K. Patnaik) New Delhi, September 12, 2011.   

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Reportable

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA

CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION

SPECIAL LEAVE PETTION (C) NOs.1135-1136 OF 2009    

Friends of Victoria Memorial                         … Petitioner

Versus

Howrah Ganatantrik Nagarik Samity  & Ors.                                                     … Respondents

O R D E R

A. K. PATNAIK, J.

Delay condoned.

2. These Special Leave Petitions under Article 136 of the  

Constitution  are  directed  against  the  orders  dated  

28.09.2007 and 15.02.2008 of the Division Bench of  

the Calcutta High Court in Writ Petition No.7987 (W) of  

2002.

3.  The facts very briefly are that during the British rule,  

Victoria  Memorial  Hall  was  built  in  the  memory  of  

Queen  Victoria  in  Central  Kolkata.   After  

independence, this monument continues to be known  

for its beautiful architecture and green surroundings.

To the north of the Victoria Memorial Hall is a huge  

stretch of land known as ‘the Maidan’ which is covered  

by green grass and interspersed with a large number of  

trees, bushes and shrubs.  To protect and preserve the  

Victoria Memorial Hall and its green surroundings, a  

public interest litigation (Writ Petition No. 7987(W) of  

2002)  was  filed  in  the  Calcutta  High  Court  by  the  

respondent nos. 1 to 5.

4.  After  hearing  all  concerned parties  and considering  

the petitions, affidavits and counter affidavits and the  

recommendations  of  expert  bodies,  the  High  Court,  

inter  alia,  directed  in  the  impugned  order  dated  

28.09.2007  that  parking  of  all  cars  around  the  

compound of the Victoria Memorial Hall shown as red-

marked portions in the annexed map and nearby areas  

would be immediately prohibited and such prohibition  

would continue for 24 hours every day including the  

holidays.  A group of persons describing itself as ‘the  

Friends of Victoria Memorial’ then filed an application  

before the High Court for modification of the aforesaid  

direction so as to permit morning walkers to park their  

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cars in the north and south zones of Victoria Memorial  

Hall  for  two hours  in  the  early  morning.   The High  

Court,  however,  dismissed  the  application  by  the  

impugned  order  dated  15.02.2008  saying  that  car  

parking  has  only  been  prohibited  around  Victoria  

Memorial Hall and persons desirous of morning walk  

may go to the Maidan which was lying vacant and may  

also walk by the side of Ganges or the Eden Garden  

area  and  the  area  around  the  grounds  of  Mohun  

Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting Clubs  

where there was no restriction of parking the vehicles.  

Aggrieved, the petitioner has filed these Special Leave  

Petitions.

5.     We have heard learned counsel for the parties and  

we  find  from  the  recommendations  of  the  Expert  

Committee (annexed to the Special Leave Petitions as  

Annexure  P1)  that  a  Committee  of  Experts  has  

observed that parking activities add to pollution load  

around  the  Victoria  Memorial  Hall  and  have  

accordingly recommended that the parking of vehicles  

on all  sides of the Victoria Memorial  Hall  compound  

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should be totally banned. The High Court appears to  

have considered these recommendations of the Expert  

Committee and directed in the impugned order dated  

28.09.2007 that parking around the Victoria Memorial  

Hall on the red-marked portions of the map would be  

prohibited.  The High Court has also indicated in the  

impugned  order  dated  15.02.2008  that  there  were  

many  other  places  in  Kolkata,  such as  Maidan,  the  

Eden Garden area and the area around the grounds of  

Mohun  Bagan,  East  Bengal  and  Mohammedan  

Sporting Clubs as well as the area by the side of the  

river Ganges where there was no restriction of parking  

the vehicles.  Those who want to walk and take their  

cars  to  the  place  of  their  walk  thus  have  sufficient  

number of alternative places in Kolkata where they can  

go for their morning walks.

6. We  are,  therefore,  not  inclined  to  interfere  with  the  

impugned  orders  of  the  High  Court  and accordingly  

dismiss the Special Leave Petitions with no order as to  

costs.      

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.……………………….J.                                                             (R. V. Raveendran)

………………………..J.                                                             (A. K. Patnaik) New Delhi, September 12, 2011.   

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