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Supreme Court of India

SOLAPUR MIDC INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION ETC.versusSTATE OF MAHARASHTRA AND ORS.

Citation
1996 INSC 795
Decided
26 July 1996
Disposal
Dismissed

Holding

There is no conflict between the 1949 Act and the 1961 Act as their legislative purposes differ, and the municipal corporation’s extension is valid.

Summary

The Solapur MIDC Industries Association filed Special Leave Petitions challenging a notification under Section 3(3) of the Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporation Act, 1949 that brought their industrial estate within the limits of Solapur Municipal Corporation. The petitioners argued that the same industrial area was still governed by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Act, 1961 and that, under Section 56 of that Act, the State had not withdrawn the estate from the corporation’s jurisdiction, creating a statutory conflict. The High Court dismissed the petitions, holding that the two statutes operated in separate fields and there was no conflict. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined the objects of the two Acts, noting that the 1961 Act aims at orderly industrial development, whereas the 1949 Act seeks better municipal governance. The Court found that any overlap in providing civic amenities is ancillary and does not render the statutes inconsistent. Consequently, the petitions were dismissed.

Issues considered

  • Whether the Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporation Act, 1949 and the Maharashtra Industrial Development Act, 1961 are in conflict with respect to the jurisdiction over an industrial estate.
  • Whether Section 56 of the 1961 Act requires the State to withdraw the industrial estate from the Industrial Development Corporation before a municipal corporation can be extended over it.
  • Whether the objects of the two Acts are substantially the same, thereby creating a statutory inconsistency.

Legislation cited

Subjects

industrial developmentmunicipal corporationjurisdictionstatutory interpretationSection 56conflict of statutescivic amenities

Judgment

A           SOLAPUR MIDC INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION ETC.                                  .'
                               v.
                STATE OF MAHARASHTRA AND ORS.

                                   JULY 26, 1996

B             [M.M. PUNCHHI AND K. VENKATASWAMI, JJ.]

          Municipality :

          Bombay Provincial Municipal Co1poration Act, 1949/ Maharashtra
C   Industrial Development Act, !961.

           S. 3(3)/s. 56-So/apur Municipal C01poratio11--Notification b1i11ging
    within tenilo1ial lbnits of Col]Joration the indusaial estate/indusflial area
    govemed by Industlial Development Co1poratio11--Notification challenged 011
    the grounds that objects sought to be achieved under both the Acts were
D   almost the same and that, as provided by s. 56 of 1961 Act, the State
    Govemment did not withdraw the indusllial estate/industrial area from the
    purview of the Industlial Del'elopment C01poration--Held, object of estab-
    lishing Indust1ial Development Corporation under 196! Act is to attain
    orderly establishment in industrial areas and i11dust1ial estates of indusliies
E   and to assist generally in organisation thereof whereas the pwpose under 1949
    Act is to provide for establishment of Municipal C01porations with a view to
    ensure better municipal govemment of cities-Topics of legislation being
    different, there is no conflict between the two.

         CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION: Special Leave Petition (C)
F   No. 14830 of 1994.

         From the Judgment and Order dated 29.6.94 of the Bombay High
    Court in W.P. No. 1314 of 1994.

                                         With
G
           Special Leave Petition (C) No. 17325 of 1994.

         From the Judgment and Order 29.6.94 of the Bombay High Court in
    W.P. No. 1312 of 1994.

H          Dushy•nt A Dave, B.N. Naik, V.N. Ganpule, Raju Ramachandran,
                                          144
                         SOLAPUR MIDCINDS.ASSN.v. STATE                          145

       M.D. Adkar, Ramdas P. Sabban, S.D. Singh, Ejaz Meqbool, AM. Khan-                A
       wilkar (Ms. AK. Verma, P.O. Tyagi,) Advs. for M/s. J.B.D. & Co., (NP),
       and S.M. Jadhav for the appearing parties.

             The following Order of the Court was delivered :

       SLP No. 14830/94 and SLP No. 17325/94 :                                          B

               A Notification issu:;d under sub-section (3) of Section 3 of the
         Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporation Act, 1949 (hereafter called the
         1949 Act) dated April 23, 1992 published on April 28, 1992, was put tu
..       challenge separately by the respective two special leave petitioners before C
         the High Court of Bombay whereby the industrial estate/area where they
         had put up their industries was brought within the territorial limits of the
         Solapur Municipal Corporation, Solapur. The High Court dismissed both
         the writ petitions in limine on identical grounds. One such ground was that
         admittedly no flaw could be found in the observance of the statutory
         provisions leading to the enlargement of the limits of the municipal cor- D
         poration. This part of the order sustains by itself unquestionably. The
         second ground of challenge failed inasmuch as the writ petitions could not
         point out any conflict between the Bombay Provincial Municipal Corpora-
         tion Act, 1949 and the Maharashtra Industrial Development Act, 1961
         (hereafter referred to as the 1961 Act), as according to the High Court the E
         two statutes had separate operaiional fields. Such view of the High Court
         has been challenged basically on the point that the objects sought to be
         achieved under the 1961 Act, were almost the same as that of the 1949 Act
         inasmuch as both go to provide civic amenities, maintenance and upkeep
         of public places etc. as statutorily enumerated in the respective two
         statutes. It was also maintained that under Section 56 of the 1961 Act the F
        State Government has not yet withdrawn the industrial estate/industrial
         area from the purview of the Industrial Development Corporation as it has
       . not yet recorded satisfaction in terms thereof as to its purpose having been.
         substantially achieved.
                                                                                        G
                Section 56 of the 1961 Act reads as follows :

                'Where the State Government is satisfied that in respect of any
....            particular industrial estate or industrial area, or any part the~eof,
                the purpose for which the Corporation was established under this
                Act has been substantially achieved so as to render the continued       H
    146                  SUPREME COURT REPORTS [1996] SUPP. 4 S.C.R.

A           existence of such estate or area of part thereof under the Corpora-
            tion unnecessary, the State Government may, by notification in the
            Official Gazette, declare that such industrial estate or industrial
            area or part thereof has been removed from the jurisdiction of the
            Corporation. The State Government may also make such other
            incidental arrangements for the administration of such estate or
B           area or part thereof as the circumstances nece.ssitate. 11

           It is not disputed that since the State Government has not yet
    withdrawn the industrial estate/industrial area concerned from the hold of
    the Corporation, the provisions of the 1961 Act continue to apply. The
c   Preamble thereof is suggestive of its objects sought to be achieved namely
    the orderly establishment in industrial areas and industrial estates of
    industries, and to assist generally in the organisation thereof, and for that
    purpose to establish the Industrial Development Corporation and for
    purposes connected with the matters therewith. The purpose of the 1949
D   Act on the other hand, as is suggestive from its Preamble, is to provide for
    the establishment of Municipal Corporation with a view to ensure a better
    municipal government of the cities in which municipal corporations are set
    up. These being the basic differences as to the ambit of the two statutes,
    the High Court, in our view, rightly arrived at the conclusion that there was
    inter se no conflict between the two. There may be certain areas such as
E   provision for civil amenities in which there is identity of purpose but these
    are ancilliary and incidental to the main purpose of the respective two
    statutes. ,The suggestion drawn from the Assembly debates, to which our
    attention has been drawn, while passing the 1961 Act, suggestive of the fact
    that the industrial estates or industrial areas on ripening were meant to be
    kept under the purview of the 1961 Act untill some civic administration in
F
     the form of a Panchayat or Municipality could take over is not supported
    by any statutory provision available in the respective two Acts. As said
    before the topics of legislation being different, there was no question of
     their rubbing against each other because being enacted under two different
     legislative fields.
G
           We therefore find no merit in these petitions. They are accordingly
     dismissed. No costs.

     R.P.                                                     Petitions dismissed.


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