The hotel that has come up beside the Mall. Picture by Suman Tamang

Darjeeling, Sept. 3: The ABGL today plastered posters across the town against a construction in Chowrastha by a prominent businessman who has on several occasions addressed public meetings of the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.

The ABGL has warned that no one should be given “political shelter” and that the hotel — Sunflower — built by the businessman has come up flouting municipality norms apart from destroying the beauty of the town’s most famous plaza, the Mall.

Sawar Agarawal, the hotel owner, is also the treasurer of the Morcha-affiliated Janmukti Hotel Owners’ Association, which recently announced that it would try its best to woo tourists to the hill town.

The controversy regarding the hotel centres around the Darjeeling municipality’s announcement that no building around Chowrastha should be above the road level. The Chowrastha provides one of the best views of Mt Kanchenjunga.

“Earlier, too, this man (Agarwal) received political shelter because of his closeness to the party in power at that time (GNLF). Now he has switched sides,” alleged ABGL president Madan Tamang.

The municipality had recently announced that constructions above four storeys would not be allowed irrespective of the height. The hotel at Chowrastha already has five storeys.

Although Agaraawal was not available for comments, Dinesh Gurung, the vice-chairman of the municipality and a Morcha leader, said the civic body had sent a notice to the hotel owner on August 22.

“We will allow constructions approved by the previous board. Even then the construction must not obstruct any view or else we will break it down,” said Gurung. He claimed that according to information received, the hotel owner has stopped adding new floors to the building.

Gurung also took a jab at Tamang and said the ABGL leader, too, had promoted buildings in the past violating the then existing laws. “While constructing buildings, he, too, should adhere to rules and not just point fingers at others,” said Gurung. He alleged that a six-storeyed building in Chandamari had been promoted by Tamang.