Stakeholders to press government to rebuild the iconic Hollong Bungalow in Alipurduar

Darjeeling: With uncertainty revolving around the reconstruction of the iconic Hollong Bungalow in Jaldapara National Park in Alipurduar, stakeholders have decided to write to the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to ensure that the Bungalow is reconstructed, failing which, one of the earliest conservation efforts of the country as well as intangible heritage will be lost forever.

The heritage bungalow built in 1967 has hosted tourists from all over the world and has been a favourite destination for eminent personalities, including late Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu. On Tuesday night, the Bungalow was razed to the ground in a fire.

On a visit to the Bungalow, Chief Wildlife Warden of the State, Debal Roy, while talking to mediapersons remarked that the Forest department has no plans to reconstruct the Bungalow as of now. He had further stated that reconstruction can be carried out only with the permission of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Demands have emerged from different quarters that the iconic Bungalow be reconstructed. “Hollong was not just a mere Bungalow, built to rake in revenue, it was one of the earliest models for conservation in early years for Independent India. Dooars tourism had started with the Hollong Bungalow,” stated Raj Basu, Chairman, Eco Tourism, Government of West Bengal. Tracing the history, Basu stated that in North Bengal, Darjeeling Hills was promoted by the British as a tourism destination. “Post Independence, Parimal Mitra, the then forest and tourism minister, Government of West Bengal came up with the idea of this Bungalow being used as a model for both conservation and tourism. This was when the Rhino population had depleted all over the country, including Jalpdapara. It soon became a conservation model for the whole of India,” stated Basu. “The conservation continuity has to go on. The old Bungalow has to be rebuilt and a natural museum along with documentation of eminent personalities has to be put up on display. If it is not rebuilt, it will be thought that the sequence of events, including the fire, was intentional,” added the Ecotourism Chairman.

“We will write to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the reconstruction of the Hollong Bungalow. The local economy largely depends on tourism which in turn revolves around Hollong,” stated Partha Sarathi Roy, president, Dooars Tourism Development Welfare Society.

“When they do not get accommodation owing to less number of rooms, they stay in lodging facilities in Madarihat and visit Hollong, availing the safaris. The salt pit at Hollong is a major attraction from where visitors get to see the wild animals up close.

Everything revolves around Hollong,” stated Roy.Adding to this Animesh Bose, coordinator of the Himalayan Nature and Adventure Foundation (HNAF), remarked: “It should be reconstructed as a green Bungalow with adequate fire safety features as it is inside the national park. People come to get a feel of the jungle, the new bungalow should not have facilities like air-conditioning, which is detrimental to the environment.” Even tourists have demanded the early reconstruction of the Bungalow. “Visiting North Bengal will not feel the same without Hollong. We hope the government will rebuild the Bungalow,” stated Deepak Mondal of Salt Lake.