Gajoldoba, 04th December: The landowners of Gajoldoba are outraged with the government for not abiding by the land acquisition laws and depriving them of their fair compensation. Fourteen impacted families are upset that they have not received the government’s promised reimbursement.
According to reports, the land has been acquired by the government for the construction of a suspension bridge near the Chief Minister’s dream project of “Bhorer Alo” over the Teesta irrigation canal. The bridge will enhance the splendor of the area and help the tourists to commute. However, in view of the construction of the suspension bridge, about fourteen families had to give up their land in exchange for alternative arrangements.
In alignment with these arrangements, the tourism department had ensured the landowners the provision of alternative land along with the lease, and Rs 1.5 lakh each for a house and a temple. The landowners Palash Sannyasi, Nirmal Samaddar, and Ravishankar Chattopadhyay complained that despite five years since the agreement, they only received the land. However, the guaranteed money never came through. In addition, the government failed to adhere to the assurance to provide job opportunities.
In the meantime, the bridge has been constructed while the administration did not respond to their request for the promised compensation. The landowners decided to bring forth their issue to the Chief Minister when she will arrive for the inauguration of the bridge in a few days.
In this regard, the Deputy Director of the Tourism Department in North Bengal, Jyoti Ghosh, expressed that the landowners have been provided with all the facilities. However, the administration will undoubtedly take their demands into consideration.