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| The Ganga Bhavan as it stood at Panchanandapur before the floods. A file picture |
Malda, May 3: A.B.A. Ghani Khan Chowdhury will get back his coveted Ganga Bhavan, the plush irrigation bungalow at Panchanandapur that was gobbled up the raging Ganga in 2003.
Union water resources minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi has promised the veteran Congressman that the Farakka Barrage Authority would ensure that a guest house by the same name will come up somewhere between Panchanandapur and Bangitola.
?Barkatda has not yet got over the loss of his favourite Ganga Bhavan two years ago and has told me to see whether I can help construct a similar two-storeyed building. Even his sister Ruby Noor had told me that her brother was very upset after the building was swept away by the flood waters,? Das Munshi said.
The Congress MP from Raiganj said it had taken Rs 2 lakh to build the Ganga Bhavan in 1975 when Ghani Khan was the state irrigation minister.
?Today, it will take quite some time to construct such a building. The state government?s help is needed to acquire land for the purpose,? Das Munshi said.
Ghani Khan, during his stints as both state and Union minister, was known for his penchant for building lavish guest houses in the district.
Gour Bhavan, which was constructed in 1982 when Ghani Khan was railway minister, is the best among these.
Then there is the other Ganga Bhavan at Farakka, Murshidabad, which belongs to the National Thermal Power Corporation and built when Barkatda was the Union power minister.
Add to this the Mahananda Bhavan in the town, which was built by the Malda stalwart when he was the state irrigation minister.
If there is any doubt as to why so many luxurious buildings, it is best to recall the veteran leader?s own logic.
?A good guest house will attract politicians, ministers and bureaucrats and that is beneficial for the development of the area,? Barkatda has always maintained.
In the meantime, the Farakka Barrage authorities have been instructed by Das Munshi to take up anti-erosion work in the Panchanandapur area.
