Cal HC refuses urgent hearing of demolition matters, says "let human lives be saved"
Kolkata (PTI): A day after at least nine persons lost their lives in an unauthorised building collapse, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday refused urgent hearings to petitioners seeking stay of demolition of their structures, holding that human lives must be saved.
Justice Amrita Sinha refused to interfere in demolition orders of alleged unauthorised buildings in different municipal bodies as three lawyers representing as many different petitioners sought urgent hearings, saying that the court will take up hearing of such matters in usual course.
When a prayer was made by a lawyer for an urgent hearing of his petition, she said, "The court is not giving you any leave in any demolition matters".
ALSO READ: Two killed as building collapses in Kolkata: Mayor
The petitioner's lawyer claimed that the date of demolition is March 20 and that the entire exercise will become futile if the matter comes up for hearing later.
"Let it remain futile, let human lives be saved. The court is not interfering," Justice Sinha said.
In another prayer claiming similar circumstances, Justice Sinha said "let the demolition continue, the court is not going to interfere.
At least nine persons lost their lives and several others were injured when an under-construction five-storeyed building collapsed at Garden Reach area in Kolkata Municipal Corporation's Ward 134 in the early hours of Monday.
Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim said that the building was an unauthorised construction.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
