Siliguri, 29th January: Jalpaiguri Zilla Parishad member Manisha Roy and BDO office officials were met with protests from locals while inspecting land for a water project at Ektiasal Tileswari Adhikari High School in the ISKCON Road area of Siliguri.
Reports indicate that the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department had proposed using the school’s grounds for reserving water. After consulting the locals, the PHE department officials had visited the land a few days ago but faced protests from both the local community and the school staff.
On Wednesday, Manisha Roy and BDO officials returned to the site for another inspection, only to be greeted by renewed protests from the locals. The officials were forced to leave due to the unrest.
Locals raised concerns that the land had been donated for educational purposes, and it is frequently used for children’s activities. They argued that the water project would involve cutting down numerous trees and cause significant inconvenience. As a result, they demanded that the project be relocated.
In response, Manisha Roy explained that their visit was in accordance with the District Magistrate’s orders. She assured that the water project would not harm any greenery or disrupt the school field.
However, she acknowledged the local opposition and stated that work would not proceed for now. She also mentioned that further discussions would be held with higher officials to explore possible solutions.