The Calcutta High Court today allowed construction of a building by the Defence Ministry, which had been stalled by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and the state government on security reasons as it was coming up next to the Alipore Correctional Home here.
Justice Debangshu Basak allowed construction of the building on a land belonging to the Defence Estates, which was stopped two years ago.
The KMC and the West Bengal government decided to halt the construction in 2016 after the state inspector general (correctional homes) sent a letter to the government.
He claimed the building could pose security threat to the Alipore Correctional Home housing hundreds of convicts and undertrials, as it was coming up near a wall of the Home.
The Defence ministry moved the high court this year challenging the decision to stop construction of the building.
Advocate General of West Bengal Kishore Dutta told the court that the state government was not informed about construction of the building.
He claimed the Defence ministry may choose not to inform the local authorities on issues relating to confidentiality, but otherwise ought to inform them about construction activities.
Appearing for the ministry, Additional Solicitor General Kaushik Chanda told the court that the Government Building Act 1899 provides for exemption from the operation of municipal building laws certain buildings and lands which are the property, or in the occupation of the Government and situated within the limits of a municipality.
Hearing both the parties, the court allowed the construction activity of the building to continue at Belvedere Road in Alipore area in south Kolkata.
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