Tripura Opposition leader urges CM Saha to stop demolition drive in Golchakkar

Tripura Leader of Opposition (LoP) Jitendra Chowdhury, on November 18 called on Chief Minister Manik Saha to halt the demolition drive targeting "illegal occupants" in the Golchakkar area of West Tripura district. 

It must be mentioned that 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.

The move was taken to execute an alternative national highway forcing the dwellers to live under open sky, Chowdhury said.

In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, Chowdhury after visiting the area highlighted the plight of the evicted poor people living in these plots for more than seven decades.

"I have met the affected people who handed over a memorandum to me urging for alternative arrangement and compensation for the demolition of their houses. They also strongly demanded to stop the demolition drive immediately", the senior CPI(M) leader wrote in the letter.

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

"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", he said.

In response to Chowdhury's letter to the CM, Agartala Municipal Corporation Mayor Dipak Majumder said notices were served to all the occupants along the road several times before the demolition drive was undertaken.

He said, "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."