Opposition leader writes to CM to stop demolition drive in Border Golchakkar

Leader of Opposition (LoP) and CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury on Monday urged Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha to stop the demolition drive against "illegal occupants" who are living in Border Golchakkar area of Agartala.

The Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) in association with the local administration bulldozed around 100 dwelling houses built on 'khash' (government) land at Golchakkar on November 14 to execute an alternative national highway forcing the dwellers to live under open sky, he said.

In a letter addressed to the chief minister, Chaudhury who visited the area on Sunday, highlighted the plight of the evicted poor people living in these plots for more than seven decades.

A delegation of CPI(M) leaders including MLAs Sudip Sarkar, Ramu Das and former MLA Ratan Das along with Jitendra Chaudhury met the affected people who handed over a memorandum before the visiting team urging for alternative arrangement and compensation for the demolition of their houses. They also strongly demanded to stop the demolition drive immediately, Chaudhury wrote in the letter.

Terming the sudden bulldozer operation as "unjustified, cruel and inhuman", Chowdhury urged the Chief Minister to arrange shelter for the evicted families immediately and take steps for their livelihood.

He also requested the Chief Minister to stop the ongoing demolition drive until an alternative arrangement is done by the administration as the affected families have no place to live after the bulldozer operation.

Responding to Chaudhury’s letter to the Chief Minister, Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) Mayor Dipak Majumder said notices were served to all the occupants along the road several times before the demolition drive was undertaken.

Adequate compensation was given to all the families whose houses were built on 'jote' (private) land. Besides, money was also disbursed to the families who have built their houses on khash land on humanitarian grounds by the state government. The families who don't have papers will also get compensation shortly. The CPI (M) is trying to indulge in politics on the issue, he said.