Darjeeling, Sept. 28: Mirik Lake, a popular tourist attraction in the region, has fallen prey to encroachers.

A part of the lake has been filled up to build a hotel and its extension wing.

Though the land and land reforms department had served a notice to the hotel-cum-restaurant, its owner, Gopal Lama, paid the least heed to it. He went ahead and inaugurated the hotel on September 22, officials said.

Officials of the land and land reforms department said Lama has been occupying the land ? 0.8 acre of plot ? illegally and the entire area belonged to the government. According to the department?s record, the place is enlisted under Khatian no. 1.

L.B. Rai, the chairman of the Mirik municipality, however, said: ?The documents brought by the hotel-owner showed that the land on which the main building was built belonged to him. But, the extension wing, comprising a few sheds, is located right in the lake and we never gave permission for the construction.?

?We had sent a notice and a reminder to the hotel, but the owner threatened our employees and even assaulted them,? an official of the department said.

Allegation that the civic body had chosen to turn a blind eye when the lake was being filled up has been levelled. But, Rai said: ?The sheds came up overnight but we are determined to pull them down.

It has also been said the municipality has not checked the documents, to verify the status of the extension wing. ?We had called him to our office but since he has gone to Calcutta, we have not been able to meet him,? Rai added.

P.K. Sengupta, the additional district magistrate (land and land reforms), said: ?I have directed my officials to file an FIR.?

The land and land reforms department had asked Lama to reply to the notice by today.