Tufanganj starts anti-encroachment drives

Cooch Behar: Following the Chief Minister’s concerns over illegal encroachment of government land and footpaths, several municipalities in the state have taken action to clear these encroachments.

In Cooch Behar, in accordance with the Chief Minister’s directive to remove illegal encroachments from footpaths, various municipalities in the district have already started taking action.

On Friday, an administrative meeting was held at Tufanganj Municipality Hall to address the issue of illegal constructions and encroachments in the Tufanganj municipal area. During the meeting, a detailed discussion took place regarding the illegally occupied footpaths and parking lots in the Tufanganj municipal area. It was decided that swift action would be taken to evacuate these encroachments.

Tufanganj Municipality Chairperson Krishna Ishore said: “A special meeting was held on Friday regarding the eviction of hawkers, as directed by the Chief Minister. Starting Saturday, we will identify the areas and conduct operations to address this issue. Initially, we will ask all hawkers who are causing trouble by illegally encroaching on the footpaths to vacate their shops. If they do not move their shops voluntarily, we will remove them administratively.”

Tufanganj Sub-Divisional Officer Bappa Goswami added: “All those involved in illegal constructions will be given notices so they can remove them on their own. No illegal parking or illegal construction will be tolerated.”

The Tufanganj Municipality has identified illegal parking issues near Hospital Road, Main Road, and the Police Station, along with sidewalk encroachments near the Police Station in Tufanganj town. Action plans are underway to address these issues. Nitendra Chandra Dey, General Secretary of the Tufanganj Subdivision Traders Association, commented: “The municipality has initiated efforts to remove hawkers. While we support this move, it’s important to consider legitimate vendors.”