A two-member team of the public accounts committee (PAC) of the state Assembly questioned, at a review meeting in Jalpaiguri on Wednesday, why some landlosers whose plots were acquired for the Teesta Barrage Project had not yet received financial compensation.
Suman Kanjilal, the PAC chairman and the MLA of Alipurduar, asked officials of the state irrigation department the question, said sources.
Kanjilal also asked why the bridge over the Karala river which flows through Jalpaiguri town's Samajpara, started by the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) nearly 12 years ago, remains incomplete despite the state government allocating funds.
Ahead of the meeting, the PAC members also visited the site of the unfinished bridge in Samajpara.
After the meeting, Kanjilal said: “The PAC has received complaints regarding the acquisition of large tracts of land by the irrigation department in phases for the Teesta Barrage Project near Gajoldoba (in Rajganj block of Jalpaiguri). Many genuine landlosers have not been compensated. Instead, compensation has reportedly gone to others who did not own land. The state government sanctioned funds specifically for rightful landloses. So how did this happen?”
Sources said the executive engineer of the Teesta Barrage project, who was present at the meeting, said that the issue was being looked into.
Kanjilal noted that the department has already begun work to expand the irrigation system through pipelines instead of acquiring more land.
Turning his attention to the SJDA, which functions under the state municipal affairs and urban development department and is headquartered in Siliguri, the PAC chairman questioned the SJDA for its handling of the river bridge over the Karala.
“The work order for the ₹1.04 crore project was issued in 2010, and the construction was completed in 2013. Why were approach roads on both sides never built, despite the government releasing full funds for the project? Where is the utilisation certificate (UC)?” he said.
Sources said that at the meeting, Kanjilal pointed out that in 2018, a structural safety assessment report had declared the bridge unsafe for public use, yet two separate DPRs (detailed project reports) worth around ₹2.5 crore were submitted for approval to build approach roads.
Dilip Dugar, the SJDA chairman, said approach roads could not be built due to land disputes. “Thirteen families are being provided housing under the Banglar Bari project, and the Jalpaiguri Government Engineering College is conducting a fresh structural audit. Once done, plans would be drawn up for approach roads,” said Dugar.