Asok Bhattacharya, a veteran CPM leader and a former state minister, slammed the state government on Wednesday for its decision to build the Mahakal temple on the outskirts of Siliguri.

Talking to newspersons at the Darjeeling district CPM office this afternoon, Bhattacharya claimed that the proposed land belonged to the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) and had originally been earmarked for industrial projects and not for the construction of a temple.

“The state government’s decision to build the Mahakal temple near Siliguri is unacceptable, as the land (on which the temple will come up) was meant for industrial projects which could generate employment. Instead of building a temple, the government should prioritise employment generation through industrialisation. But what we are witnessing is entirely different, and we oppose it,” Bhattacharya, who served as the chairman of the SJDA for 20 years during the Left regime, said.

Headquartered in Siliguri, the SJDA is a development agency that functions under the state urban development and municipal affairs department.

On November 10, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced here that a 17.4-acre plot had been earmarked in Matigara on the outskirts of Siliguri for the proposed Mahakal temple. A trust headed by the chief secretary has also been constituted for the project, which will be executed by WBHIDCO.

As a part of the process, the state cabinet approved the Mahakal temple project on Monday. Sources said an area measuring 25.15 acres, which is possessed by Luxmi Township & Holdings Limited, would be handed over to the SJDA. Out of it, 17.41 acres — which is unused — will be transferred to the state tourism department through the block land and land reforms department for the temple.

“We are providing the land free of cost,” Mamata had said.

On Wednesday, Bhattacharya further alleged that the state government has been undermining the role of the SJDA, an agency that once played a crucial part in the development of Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, and some surrounding areas.

During the past 15 years, the Trinamool government has failed to set up any major industry in Siliguri and in north Bengal as a whole, Bhattacharya said, adding that the state also entrusted the execution of several projects to other agencies, sidestepping the SJDA.

“Over the past 15 years, the present government has taken no initiative to establish any major industry in the region and has rendered an otherwise active agency like SJDA almost defunct by not allocating development works to it,” he added.