COOCH BEHAR: A political tussle has erupted between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress over the stalled construction of a National Centre of Excellence, or Sports Hub, on railway land adjacent to New Cooch Behar Station. The foundation stone of the project was laid by Nishit Pramanik during his tenure as Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports. However, apart from building a boundary wall, no visible progress has been made on the site.
The Trinamool Congress has repeatedly questioned why the ambitious project has not been implemented. Recently, BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Shamik Bhattacharya raised the matter in Parliament. The BJP has since accused the state government of deliberately obstructing the project. Cooch Behar District BJP general secretary Sanjay Chakraborty claimed that Rs 29 crore has already been allocated by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for the project. He alleged that the delay is due to the state government’s inaction in shifting an 11,000-volt electric wire that runs across the identified land.
“Although the Electricity department has been repeatedly requested to remove the wire, no action has been taken. This project is stalled due to the non-cooperation of the| +state government.
If the high-voltage wire is not removed quickly, we will be forced to launch a movement,” Chakraborty warned. Countering the allegations, Trinamool Congress spokesperson and former MP Partha Pratim Roy accused the BJP of political opportunism.
“When the foundation stone was laid, the state government was not consulted or even invited. Now, with assembly elections approaching, the BJP is trying to mislead the people by raising the issue again. But it will not work. The BJP must answer why no work has been done so far,” Roy said.