Bengal forest minister Manoj Oraon on Wednesday visited the construction site of the Holong forest bungalow in Alipurduar and instructed forest department officers to rebuild the structure in a manner that closely resembles the original heritage property destroyed in a fire.

The iconic Holong forest bungalow, located in the Jaldapara National Park, was gutted in a major fire on June 18, 2024.

Following the fire, the forest department sanctioned funds for the reconstruction, which is currently underway.

“The Holong bungalow was destroyed in a fire in 2024. Thereafter, the department allocated funds, and the reconstruction started. I visited the site today, and hopefully, the bungalow will be completed within one year,” he said.

Oraon said the rebuilt structure should retain the architectural character and heritage value of the original bungalow, which has long been considered one of the most iconic forest lodges in north Bengal.

After inspecting the construction site, the minister attended a meeting and a consultation session at the nature interpretation centre in Madarihat, where different issues related to forest conservation, wildlife protection and tourism were discussed in detail.

Minister Dipak Barman and minister of state Bishal Lama, district magistrate Mayuri Vasu, district police chief Amit Shaw and senior foresters were present.

Also, representatives of NGOs, tour operators, guides and Maruti Gypsy owners participated in the nearly three-hour-long meeting and shared their concerns and suggestions regarding forest management and human-wildlife conflict in north Bengal.

A major focus of the discussion was on minimising human-animal conflict, particularly incidents involving elephants in the region. The minister personally noted down the suggestions put forward by various stakeholders.

The representative of an NGO has pointed out that tea garden residents often do not receive compensation for damage caused to property by wild animals, leading to a decline in interest among tea garden workers in wildlife conservation efforts.

A forest department officer said: “The primary reason behind increasing human-animal conflict is the fragmentation of elephant corridors across north Bengal. In many cases, tea gardens have encroached on traditional elephant movement routes.”

The officer explained that compensating damaged properties had become legally complicated because the land in tea garden areas often did not belong to individual residents.

However, in cases of death caused by wildlife attacks, the forest department currently provides compensation of ₹5 lakh.

After the meeting, Oraon said: “I have gathered all suggestions. I am leaving for Calcutta today and will discuss these matters with the chief minister. In the future, I will also hold meetings with tea garden associations because tea gardens have a vital role to play in reducing human-animal conflict across this region.”