Farmers stake claim to plots for tourism project at Gajoldoba... Protest at land `acquisition'

TT, 05 Jun 2019, Jalpaiguri/Siliguri: Farmers on Tuesday staged a protest against alleged acquisition of their land for setting up a helipad at "Bhorer Alo," a signature tourism project of chief minister Mamata Banerjee on the right bank of the Teesta.

Located at Gajoldoba under Rajganj block of Jalpaiguri, "Bhorer Alo" is the largest tourism project taken up by the Bengal government.

Cottages, tents and a garden have already been readied on the site and safaris have been introduced for tourists. Private resorts, living history museum, youth hostel and a helipad have also been proposed as part of the project.

On Tuesday, a section of farmers living in Milanpally, a hamlet close to the project, walked up to a piece of farmland that has been earmarked for the helipad and tried to uproot a signboard put by the authorities.

"We have been carrying our farming on the land for several years now. But suddenly, we came know that our land would be used to raise infrastructure for the tourism hub. We are not ready to part with our land. It is disappointing that though the land has been earmarked for the helipad and some other projects, we were never informed," said Swapan Das, a farmer.

According to them, back in 1998, when the Left Front was in power, 52 farmers of the Farmers protest on the tourism project site at Gajoldoba on Tuesday. Picture by Biplab Basak area were provided "patta" (secured land tenure) by the state government.

In total, these farmers hold around 120 acres of land.

"Since then, we have been cultivating paddy, fruits and vegetables on the land. We have all necessary documents with us. How can the state now take over our land now," Raikishore Das, another farmer, said.

Sources in the Rajganj block administration said that as a part of the tourism project, it has been decided that a helipad, a cold storage and an infrastructure for solid waste management would be set up at the site.

"For these projects, an area of eight-and-half acres has been recently marked by the block land and land reforms department. This is what seems to have triggered the protests," said a source.

On Tuesday morning, a number of farmers and their family members assembled at the plot where a signboard mentioning that the helipad would be built has been put by the administration. They tried to remove the signboard but officials from Siliguri Metropolitan Police and Jalpaiguri district police rushed to the spot and stopped them.

The farmers had an altercation with the policemen and there was also a jostle. The protesters however, finally abstained from pulling out the board as they were informed that the block land and land reforms department will look into their claim.

Though none from the BL&LRO's office turned up at the spot, but the farmers were asked to visit the office with their land documents.

"We have asked them to show us the documents. It is a project of the state tourism department and we have not made any illegal move while marking the plots," said Rupak Agarwal, the BL&LRO of Rajganj over phone.

During the protest, many women were also seen arguing with the police as the latter tried to dissuade them from removing the signboard.

"None from the government's side held any talks with us. They measured and marked our land but did not even spoke about any compensation. We will not let them do their work here as we do farming on the plot," said Ashtami Das, a housewife.

The protest, which is a rare scene during the Trinamul government, has also come as a surprise to government officials.

"The present government has hardly acquired any farmland. It is due to non-acquisition of land that several infrastructural projects like highways have been held up. Several years back, land was acquired for the Teesta Barrage Project but as the entire land was not used for the project, some stretches were handed over to farmers. We have to see whether the marked plot was distributed among them," said a senior official.

With the farmers raising their voices, leaders of Bharatiya Janata Kishan Morcha ­ the farmers' front of BJP ­ has also picked up the issue.

"We want to know how the state can take control of farmland that was provided to farmers. Officials of the land and land reforms department should visit the spot and clarify it to the farmers. If they resort to coercion, we will launch protests," said Nabendu Sarkar, the Jalpaiguri district president of the Morcha..