Kolkata: Request to sit and sort it out, Calcutta High Court advised the residential estate opposite Woodlands Multispeciality Hospital and the hospital authorities to discuss and find an amicable solution to the problem of parked vehicles obstructing the estate entrance as “this menace could not be stopped overnight by imposing (order)”.The division bench of Acting Chief Justice (ACJ) Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee sought affidavits from both the estate and the hospital within two weeks. The matter will be next heard on Aug 4. The ACJ said they still believed a discussion could solve the problem between the residential estate and the hospital.A public interest litigation (PIL) was filed by Belvedere Estates Limited and two other individuals—Alipore Estate representative and estate manager representative of the Woodlands syndicate, representing the residents and occupiers of residential buildings located at 8/8, 8/6/1 and 8/7, Alipore Road.The complaint raised by petitioners’ counsel was that they were unable to get access to the public roads due to parking of vehicles, meant for the hospital, on the road space and pavement of the narrow, 18-foot lane that led to the hospital as well as the residential estates. The other point raised by the residents was that on what points did the municipality give permission to the hospital to construct a 10-storey building, when they could not handle their present parking issue.“This menace cannot be stopped overnight by imposing. In our (HC) localities, also these problems are being faced,” the ACJ said.The state counsel submitted that no-parking signs were affixed on the road, constant police patrolling was being conducted and only 50 vehicles for the hospital were allowed.The counsel for the Woodlands agreed on a discussion with the estate residents over the parking problem, like the one done a few months ago. But about producing documents on the sanction of the building plan for the hospital expansion, the counsel raised the question of maintainability, which was kept open by the division bench.
