Calcutta High Court Orders Interim Stay on Mandarmani Beach Town’s ‘Illegal’ Constructions

• The Calcutta High Court has ordered an interim stay on the demolition of alleged illegal constructions by hotels, resorts, and homestays in Mandarmani, West Bengal.

• The Mandarmani Hoteliers’ Association had moved the court on November 18 to stay the Purba Medinipur District Magistrate’s order to demolish 140 hotels that violated coastal regulations.

• The Mandarmani Hoteliers’ Association argued that the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification in West Bengal was yet to be published and that the constructions carried out by its members long ago could not be directed to be demolished at such a late stage.

• The single-judge Bench of Justice Amrita Sinha held that there was an immediate threat of demolition of the constructions, which the association members depended on to run their businesses and earn a livelihood.

• The notice will not take effect till December 13, 2024, or until further order, whichever is earlier.