Siliguri: Block administration seals resort built illegally

Siliguri: The Matigara block administration has taken stern action against an illegally constructed resort that encroached upon government land along the Mahananda River and violated eco-sensitive zone regulations near the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary.

The resort, located in Milan More area under Matigara block, was sealed late on Tuesday in the presence of Biswajit Das, the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Matigara, and other officials.

The administration has also lodged a written complaint against the resort’s owner, Avdesh Yadav, a resident of Champasari, Siliguri, at Pradhan Nagar police station. Yadav is now under investigation, and police have initiated a search to locate him.

According to sources, the crackdown was initiated following instructions from Nabanna, the state government headquarters. BDO Biswajit Das said, “The resort was constructed illegally on government land. We have filed a written complaint, and an investigation is underway.”

The illegal structure reportedly violated environmental regulations laid out by the Forest and Environment Ministry.

The resort is situated adjacent to the Mahananda River and within 5 kilometres of the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, raising significant environmental concerns.

The administration became aware of the resort’s activities recently and conducted a field inspection to verify the documents and location.

Upon confirming the violations, the matter was escalated to higher authorities, who ordered immediate action.