Siliguri: The Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) demolished 15 “illegally” constructed structures, including houses and shops, on government land in the Kawakhali area of Siliguri on Tuesday. The action was taken after repeated warnings were ignored by the occupants, officials said.
Using JCB machines, the SJDA, with the assistance of a heavy police presence, cleared the unauthorised buildings that had been built on land under its jurisdiction. According to SJDA official Zahirul Islam, the land had never been allotted to private individuals by the government. “This land belongs to SJDA. No official allocation was made here. Some unscrupulous individuals sold these plots by misrepresenting facts, deceiving common people,” he said. Despite having issued three prior notices to the occupants to vacate the land, no substantial response was received, prompting Tuesday’s action. “We had to take steps after repeated notices were ignored. Such operations will continue in the future to protect government land,” Islam added. Among those affected was Jiban Chandra Roy, a house owner who claimed to have been misled during the purchase. “We didn’t know it was government land. We were tricked,” he said.
Sources stated that in other parts of SJDA’s jurisdiction, it has provided land to genuinely affected individuals. However, the land in question at Kawakhali was never part of such allotment programmes.