Mayor Gautam Deb on Monday visited Teestapally, where 132 families had been relocated following the threat posed to their lives and livelihood by the erosion of the Teesta river.

The newly established settlement is at Majhua in Dabgram 1 gram panchayat. The hamlet is in the Rajganj block of the neighbouring Jalpaiguri district.

Deb interacted with the families who had earlier lived in the forest villages of Chamakdangi and Laltong.

Located on the left bank of the Teesta near Siliguri, Chamakdangi and Laltong faced acute erosion by the Teesta. That is why the families were shifted to Majhua, and last week, they were granted rights to the land that they were provided with at the new settlement.

For generations, the families were residing in Laltong and Chamakdangi. However, in October last year, the river partially changed its course and damaged the two villages.

The situation forced the residents to approach Deb, along with the Jalpaiguri zilla Parishad and the district administration, for help.

During his visit on Monday, Deb said the Teesta had washed away a portion of those two villages. “Houses were damaged or went under water, and people were left with nowhere to go. I visited the area and realised the gravity of the situation. I immediately informed the chief minister and urged her to take steps for their safety and rehabilitation,” the mayor said.

“The chief minister took steps to relocate the affected families to a safer place. Last week, she formally launched the process of handing over the land rights to the displaced families,” he added.

Deb has pointed out that as the families have land rights now, they are also eligible for assistance under the state’s housing scheme.

“The villagers have begun settling at the new place. While some are working as day wage workers, others are into small-scale farming, and other forms of livelihood,” said Deb.

Abhiram Saibo, the deputy chief of Dabgram 1 panchayat, said each family would receive ₹1.20 lakh under the Banglar Awas Yojna to build their homes.

“Geo-tagging of the plots has been done and the first installment of housing funds is expected to be disbursed by June,” he said.

Altogether, around 500 people have been relocated to the new place, said sources.

Krishna Madhav Chettri, who used to live in Laltong, said the families were waiting for assistance. “We have shifted to the new place and have somehow made a shanty with tarpaulin and bamboo mesh. The monsoon is ahead, and we would face problems if there is no proper accommodation. We hope the first instalment is released soon so that we can start the construction of the house,” he said.