State takes back control of road from Visva Bharati

Bolpur: Amidst the row over the ancestral property of Nobel laureate Prof Amartya Sen, the Mamata Banrjee government takes back the control over a road near the campus of Visva Bharati.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has taken the decision of the state Public Works Department (PWD) to reclaim control over the 2.9 km "century old" road that leads to Santiniketan and Sriniketan after a few ashramites complaint

to her against the varsity authorities of restricting usual movement of vehicles on the thoroughfare.

It is the road that passed through the front of the house of Prof Sen, Nandalal Basu and Shantideb Ghosh.

It has also been alleged that the varsity authorities even do not allow one to use the road to take up repairing of their houses. While attending the administrative review meeting at Bolpur, Banerjee said: "The road was earlier under the control of the state PWD. It was also being maintained by the department. It was given to the university authorities two to three years ago as they had requested for it. They have not even maintained the road properly."

"I have signed the file at the helipad before taking off for Birbhum and later read the letter while heading to Bolpur that the ashramites had given to me at my house today morning alleging that boundary walls were constructed here and there by the Visva Bharati authorities and restriction was imposed on plying of vehicles causing inconvenience to ashramites and local residents," Banerjee said directing the state PWD officers to take subsequent as per the law and to maintain the road properly.

In 2017 the state had allowed the varsity authorities to maintain the road.

The ashramites alleged in the letter that "restriction has been imposed on plying of goods vehicles on the road from the crossing of Siksha Bhavan to Upasana Griha.

Earlier this restriction was from Sangeet Bhavan to Kanch Mandir from 6 am to 6 pm when it was earlier under the supervision of the district

magistrate."