Municipal approval now mandatory for construction in heritage zones

COOCH BEHAR: Cooch Behar Municipality chairman, Rabindra Nath Ghosh, has announced that construction work in certain areas outside the municipality will now require municipal approval. This new directive impacts Guriahati Gram Panchayat in Cooch Behar One Block and Khagrabari Gram Panchayat in Cooch Behar Two Block.

During a press conference on Thursday, Ghosh detailed that 154 establishments have been identified under the Cooch Behar Heritage list. A notice issued on April 8, 2023, invited applications from those wishing to remove their properties from the heritage list, with only three institutions responding. The names of these institutions have been forwarded to the Urban Development department.

Following Cooch Behar’s designation as a heritage town, the Land Use Development Control Plan (LUDCP) now requires residents in 20 wards of Cooch Behar Municipality, as well as areas under Guriahati Gram Panchayat and Khagrabari Gram Panchayat, to secure municipal approval for any construction or renovation activities, including those for residential, commercial, or industrial purposes. Ghosh emphasised that this policy extension aims to protect heritage structures located in these areas: “Several heritage buildings are located in these areas. With Cooch Behar’s designation as a heritage town, the State Urban Development department has issued an order mandating these regulations, which will soon be communicated to the district magistrate’s office, block officers and Gram Panchayat officials,” he said. He further noted: “We are also addressing instances where residential permits are being misused for commercial activities.

These areas have been incorporated into the municipality’s jurisdiction due to their heritage status. Cooch Behar, alongside Navdeep, is one of the two municipalities in the state authorised to enforce these new regulations.”