Almost one year back, 500-odd residents of Chamakdangi and Laltong — two forest villages of Dabgram-Fulbari Assembly constituency located within the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary on the outskirts of Siliguri — were shifted to their new refuge at Majhua, named Teestapally on the banks of the Mahananda river near Siliguri.
The main reason to relocate the villages was to rehabilitate them far from the threat of the Teesta’s flooding and erosion.
The relocation was a success, but the apprehension of facing erosion or getting flooded continues to haunt the residents. The difference is that earlier they used to stay on one bank of the Teesta, and now they are staying on one bank of the Mahananda.
Residents are worried that, as there is no permanent embankment along the Mahananda river, it can flood and erode their settlement during the monsoon.
“We had to shift from our original home as the Teesta gobbled up our land and flooded our village during the glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) in October 2023. Now, in this new location, we are living beside the Mahananda river and fear that we might get displaced again as there is no permanent embankment on the river bank and there is every chance that the river can flood our area during monsoon or erode chunks of land,” said Dhanbahadur Mongar, a resident of Teestapally.
The Mamata Banerjee government had arranged an alternative site — Majhua or Teestapally — to relocate 132 families or around 500 persons from Chamakdangi and Laltong villages. Upon relocation, each family received ₹60,000 as the first instalment to build their houses under the state’s housing scheme. The government provides a total of ₹1.20 lakh under the scheme to each beneficiary.
Abhiram Saibo, deputy head of the Trinamool-run Dabgram-I panchayat under the Rajganj block of Jalpaiguri, promised to address the fear.
“We understand the villagers’ concern. As they have had to abandon their houses due to the rampaging Teesta river, naturally they are perturbed about the rain-fed Mahananda. But it has been decided to build a 2km embankment along the stretch of the Mahananda river where they live now. Funds have been sanctioned, and work will begin after the Assembly polls,” he said.
Residents also said that the relocation forced them to change their livelihoods.
In Chamakdangi and Laltong, they grew crops or were into dairy and poultry farming. After shifting to Teestapally, most are daily wage earners.
“I used to run a small poultry farm during the day and worked in the evening as a guard. As there is no option for poultry farming here, I have joined a company as a gig worker,” said Hari Mukhia, a youth in his mid-thirties.
Gautam Chhetri, a local youth and a Trinamool worker, said that considering the scenic location near the Mahananda, many were exploring options to develop homestays.
“The state government is promoting homestays and giving financial aid to people for running such facilities. We believe it is a good earning option in Teestapally. Once polls are over, we will approach the administration and elected representatives with this proposal,” said Chhetri.
Sikha Chatterjee, the BJP MLA of Dabgram-Fulbari and also the party's candidate, visited Teestapally on Tuesday and criticised the relocation process.
“Instead of shifting the families, the state government could have protected their villages by dredging the river and constructing embankments. The entire relocation was done without any proper plan, and now, residents are facing inconveniences and living with the fear of monsoon,” Chatterjee said.