Resort owner accuses Kalchini BDO of demanding bribe for licence renewal

Alipurduar: A serious allegation of bribery has been levelled against Kalchini Block Development Officer (BDO) Mithun Majumdar by a resort owner from the Mendabari area, causing a stir in the district administration.

Kinkar Roy, a resort owner from the Mendabari area and president of the Alipurduar District Resort and Hotel Association, submitted a written complaint at the District Magistrate’s office on Tuesday. In his complaint, Roy accused the BDO of demanding money beyond the official fee for renewing a trade registration licence issued by the panchayat samiti.

According to the complaint, on June 18, Roy deposited Rs 5,000—the official fee—for renewing his resort’s trade registration licence at the Kalchini BDO office. However, he was allegedly asked to pay an additional sum. Roy claimed he was made to wait for hours and upon questioning the extra demand, was told the money would be used to pay casual staff salaries. He also alleged that the BDO threatened to withhold his licence renewal.

“When the state government is promoting tourism and offering full cooperation, how can a senior officer like a BDO ask for extra money? This is outright bribery,” Roy said. “I refuse to pay anything beyond the official fee. Such conduct from a public servant is unacceptable and that is why I’ve sought justice through a formal complaint.” In response, BDO Mithun Majumdar denied the charges, calling them “completely false and baseless”.

“I never demanded any extra money. On the contrary, Roy has been running his resort in Chilapata without renewing his trade licence for five years, which is a violation of the law,” Majumdar said. “He was simply asked to collect the licence on Tuesday, as I was unavailable on Monday.”

ADM Ashwini Roy stated: “There may have been some misunderstanding during official procedures. The matter is being looked into.”