Construction of one of the torons (ornamental concrete arched gates) by Visva-Bharati was halted on Saturday after the public works department (PWD) cited that the work was being carried out on government land without prior permission.
“During inspection, we found the construction work was on on PWD land and immediately asked the Visva-Bharati engineer for official permission. They failed to produce any prior approval. We verbally informed them that carrying out such work without permission was unlawful. Those working on the ground stopped the construction,” said Raj Kumar Banthia, an assistant engineer of Bolpur construction subdivision.
“We have informed the varsity that any further work without prior permission will lead to legal action from the government. I have informed senior government officials in writing through email,” he said.
After the work was stalled, many in the varsity feared this could be another conflict of interest between Visva-Bharati and the Bengal government. Relations between the central university and the state government hit rock-bottom during the tenure of erstwhile vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakrabarty.
Visva-Bharati recently announced plans to set up a few torons at various strategic points to mark entrances to the Visva-Bharati campus, including Bolpur Fire Brigade, University First Gate and near the Ratan Kuthi guesthouse.
In a recent media statement, the university said: “The decision to construct these gateways was taken at a high-level meeting in which representatives of all branches of state and district administration as well as members and officials of Visva-Bharati were present.”
“We witnessed a lot of conflicts that severely harmed the varsity’s interests. The state government had taken back a stretch of road earlier handed over to Visva-Bharati for maintenance. There were several disputes between Visva-Bharati authorities and local residents, resulting in acrimony and other issues,” said a senior varsity official.
Visva-Bharati officials, however, said the work was stalled following the PWD’s intervention, but they believed the issue would be amicably settled.
“The issue of setting up torons or gates is nothing new, as it was discussed in front of senior state government officials who had raised no objection. If there are any formalities to complete, we will speak to the concerned state authorities. We hope the issue will be settled amicably,” said Visva-Bharati’s public relations officer Atig Ghosh.
Artisans’ fears
The local association of artisans lodged an official complaint once the varsity announced the work.
“We complained for two reasons. First, the construction will narrow the roads, which are crowded during weekends, causing hazards for tourists. Secondly, we suspect that these gates are intended to restrict tourists’ vehicles from entering the area where our artisans have had stalls for years. So, we officially filed a complaint to stop such veiled efforts,” said Aminul Huda, secretary of the Kaviguru Hastashilpa Unnayan Samiti, an artisans’ collective in Santiniketan.
Visva-Bharati clarified that it had no such intentions.
“It has come to the knowledge of Visva-Bharati that certain members of some sections of the local community are apprehensive that these gateways are being erected to stop vehicular traffic on the roads on which they are being constructed. This Press Statement is issued to allay and put to rest any such apprehension and to give the message to all that Visva-Bharati has no intention of closing these gates to free movement of traffic. The sole purpose of these gateways is symbolic. That is, visitors, tourists, newcomers, etc. are often at a loss to understand where exactly the campus of the university begins,” the press statement reads.