Over 100 ‘land-losers’ demonstrate for jobs in Siliguri

The protestors tried to raise a blockade on Asian Highway 2 and stopped the entry of officials to the irrigation department office

The demonstration in front of the BJP office in Siliguri on Tuesday. :Passang Yolmo

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TT   |   Siliguri   |    03.02.21 : Over 100 people held a demonstration in front of the office of Bengal irrigation department in Siliguri on Tuesday, demanding jobs and more compensation for plots they had purportedly parted with for the Teesta Barrage Project.

The Teesta Barrage is the largest irrigation project in north Bengal and was initiated in 1976. The demonstration was held at Tinbatti More, barely a kilometre from Uttarkanya, the north Bengal branch secretariat in Siliguri.

Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had stayed at Uttarkanya before leaving for Alipurduar on Tuesday morning during her ongoing north Bengal tour.

The demonstrators also  tried to raise a blockade on Asian Highway 2 and stopped the entry of officials to the irrigation department office.

The protest was held under the banner of the Jalpaiguri Land Losers Committee. They said they had provided land for the project between 1984 and 2006 — the Left Front was in power then — and were assured of a job for each family and adequate compensation.

“Many years have passed since then, but till date, we have not yet received anything from the state government. When we came to know that the chief minister would be here, we wanted to draw her attention through our demonstration,” said Debasish Adhikary, a protester hailing from Rajganj block of Jalpaiguri.

Another resident of the same block said they had attended a number of meetings convened by government officials, ministers and MLAs to discuss the demands. “But there has been no change in the situation. This is why we organised the agitation,” he said.

Irrigation department officials said they couldn’t immediately verify the demonstrators’ allegations as the purported land acquisition had taken place several years back. 

A demonstration was held by the committee at the same spot on Saturday also. New Jalpaiguri police asked the protesters to disperse on Tuesday, but they refused. They were whisked away to the New Jalpaiguri police station around 2pm. Then, the employees could enter the office.