‘Large parts of Kaliaganj’s lone Srimati River now used as private land for growing paddy’

raiganj: What appears as a piece of private land in the government records is actually a river. This is the fate of ‘Srimati’- the only river of Kaliaganj town in the North Dinajpur district. The district administration is looking into how encroachments have strangled the river.

‘Srimati’ or locally called ‘Chiramoti’ River starts its course from the Pirganj area of Bangladesh. The river enters India through Sadganj under Anantapur GP of Kaliaganj block and after crossing Kaliaganj town it flows into South Dinajpur district.

Many river experts believe that the origin of Srimati is actually associated with River Teesta and it was once a large river. The river, which is the only river and could have been the lung for Kaliaganj Municipal town, is now gasping for breath.

Large parts of the river and river bed have now become private land and people grow paddy on these lands. Over time, these parts of the river have been officially converted into private land in the land records books of the government.

Some residents openly claim that these lands officially belong to them and they use it for cultivation. Kingshuk Maity, SDO, Raiganj stated: “Land and Land Reforms department is instructed to enquire how the river has been encroached upon. This cannot be tolerated at all. We will take all necessary steps to save the river.” Rupak Paul, a lecturer of geography, North Bengal University and a river enthusiast claims that there are so many proofs that indicate how large the Srimati River was in the past.

“Though the volume of water of the river decreased drastically after the Teesta river dam project, it is really very shocking to see the encroachment. It will affect the biodiversity, and environment of Kaliaganj town,” stated Paul.

The residents of Kaliaganj also want their river back and beautified. Rumpa Roy, a local resident stated: “Dredging work should be taken up at Srimati and the banks should be beautified. This will add to the beauty of our town.”

Better late than never, Kaliaganj Municipality has taken note of the gravity of the problem of losing its lung. Ramnibas Saha, Chairman, Kaliganj Municipality told Millennium Post that he is going to convene a meeting of all stakeholders soon to initiate a ‘Save Srimati River’ campaign.