RESUME OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND OTHER SOCIAL
ACTIVITIES OF GANATANTRIC NAGARIK SAMITY, THE PARENT ORGANIZATION OF RENU


Environmental and other move through the judicial Forum
(From 1995 to March 2007)

In the matter of traffic congestion and traffic mismanagement in the city of Calcutta and Howrah a W. P. (No. 15941 (W) of 2003) was moved before the High Court at Calcutta on which order to issue notice upon the Respondents has been passed by the Hon'ble P.I.L. Bench of the High Court at Calcutta. A committee of Learned Advocates of the High Court has been set to find out the actual position in the matter and suggest remedial measures thereon. Several orders have been passed on this subject.

In the matter of wrong development and in the process destruction of the historical, cultural, environmental and heritage value of the place like Shantiniketan where Viswabharati University stands a Writ Petition has been moved before the P.I.L Bench of the High Court at Calcutta (W.P No. 235 (W) of 2004), which has been disposed of with direction.

We have moved a Public Interest Litigation [W P (Civil) No. (D No. 7105/2004)] before the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India in which it has been demanded that as there is R P F for the protection of the railways, B S F exits for securing our boarders, there is C I S F for the security of the industries/airports and for the protection of political leaders there is S P G/Black Cat etc., in the same manner there should be a special force for the security of important historical objects of national importance. The Hon’ble Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Country has passed directions in the matter including submission of an action plan for the safety and security of the historical objects in the museums of the country. 

After fighting a long and unsuccessful battle in the court of the people for about two decades, in the year 1995 we had lastly moved before the court of Law and placed the plight of ten lakhs of people before the judiciary. A voluminous Writ Petition (No. 385 (W) of 1995) of about 500 pages was filed by us before the Supreme Court in which 22 items of environmental hazards in the city of Howrah were highlighted. On the basis of this petition the first Environment Bench in any High Courts of the country had been constituted in the High Court at Calcutta, which is popularly known as Green Bench.

Two Hon'ble Judges of the High Court at Calcutta had passed several orders which created considerable sensations in the minds of the public at large. The Judges were afterwards transferred to other High Courts. We had challenged such order of transfer by filing a Public Interest Litigation (No. AST-3036/2004), which ultimately got dismissed.

There is no pollution control checks on the heavily loaded goods carrying lorries entering into the city of Calcutta during dead part of night. We have moved a Writ Petition (No. 4183 (W) of 2005) before the Green Bench on which direction for filing affidavits has been given by the Court.

In the matter of failure of the drainage and sewerage system in the whole city of Howrah and particularly with regard to the Belilious Lane and adjoining areas one Writ Petition (A. S. T No. 1581 of 2005) was filed by us before the Vacation Bench of the High Court at Calcutta on which a Special Office was appointed by the Court and the said matter is expected to be heard by the regular PIL Bench of the same Court shortly.

In the matter of burning of leaves, grass and other items in and around Calcutta Maidan one Writ Petition (W. P. 23575 (W) of 2005) was moved by us before the Bench presided over by Hon'ble Justice Ashok Kumar Ganguly on which several directions were passed. Afterwards the said matter was heard by the regular Green Bench of the High Court at Calcutta and the same got disposed of with some directions.

One massive Writ Petition (W. P. 1092 (W) of 2006), enclosing more than one hundred of photographs, was moved by us in the matter of mismanagement, abuses of various kinds of Calcutta Maidan and other related issues which had been disposed of by the Hon'ble Court after giving several significant directions in the matter.

In the matter of an application filed by the Book Sellers and Publishers Guild, Calcutta for allowing them to hold Book Fair in the Calcutta Maidan our organization had made a petition for addition of party to the same. Since the Guild’s petition was not admitted by the Court, our petition was also not accepted on the same ground.

In the matter of not allowing Book Fair in the Calcutta Maidan petition (Tender No. 40 of 2007) was moved by us in January 2007 on the basis of which and based on other related petitions, the Book Fair venue got shifted from Calcutta Maidan to Salt Lake Stadium Complex. 

In the matter of pollution arising out of auto emission in the city of Calcutta and its adjoining areas one Writ Petition (W. P. No. 6377 (W) of 2007) has been moved before the Environment Bench of the High Court at Calcutta on which the Hon’ble Court has directed the State Respondents to file affidavit on the issue.

In the matter of holding Yangga Ceremony by burning huge quantity of fire wood in the city of Howrah, we had moved a Writ Petition before the Green Bench of the High Court at Calcutta but before the matter was heard by the Court, some directions had been given by the State Pollution Control Board for which the petition was withdrawn by us. 

In the matter of water logging in the city of Calcutta and Howrah we have moved a petition before the PIL Bench of the High Court at Calcutta (WP 14575(W) of 2007 on which the direction for filing Affidavit-in-Opposition has been given by the Court

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