The tussle between the state government
and Darjeeling town residents continues to drag on over the construction
of a market infrastructure near Chowrastha to relocate roadside
hawkers. On the occasion of World Environment Day today, a local club
and an NGO in collaboration with Darjeeling Municipality and a few
schools planted saplings at the market complex site to express their
opposition to the plan.
The Aastha Hawkers’ Market was envisaged
by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and she even laid its foundation
stone on January 23 of this year. The situation turned dicey on May 22
when the Rohini Engineering Cooperative Society Limited, a firm that has
been awarded the market complex project, wanted to fell a couple of
trees allegedly obstructing construction work. But RECSL employees had
to beat a hasty retreat when members of the Morning Health Club and the
Federation of Societies for Environment Protection (FOSEP) strongly
opposed the move to remove the trees. Several area residents also got
involved and forced the RECSL to abandon its plan.
Students of Nepali Girls High School and
St. Teresa’s Higher Secondary School today joined hands with the FOSEP
and the MHC on the occasion of World Environment Day and planted
saplings of various varieties of maple, pine and rhododendron around the
Mall and Chowrastha areas.
“We planted more than 350 varieties of
tree saplings including some at the proposed construction site of the
hawkers’ market. This is a gesture symbolic as today is World
Environment Day. We will ensure no construction work takes place in an
around the Chowrastha area,” said MHC president Tshering Dorjee Bhutia.
He added, “There are a very few areas
left in town that boast of some degree of greenery and Chowrastha is
among the lot. Building high rise structures in and around the area will
spoil its beauty and charm. We will not tolerate any disruption to the
peace and tranquility of the place in the name of development.”
The hawkers’ market has been planned to
relocate more than 100 roadside vendors evicted from Nehru Road, or the
stretch from Keventer’s to Chowrastha, in August of last year as part of
the town’s beautification plan. At present, the hawkers are running
their business from temporary stalls set up below the Chowrastha area.
The municipality is also against the
construction and has said no permission was sought by the company to
build a market complex in the area, adding it would not pass the
building plan.
“We have neither received nor passed any
plan for a hawkers’ market at Chowrastha. We will not allow any new
structure to come up there,” Darjeeling municipality chairman Amar Singh
Rai has pledged.
He was among the many volunteers today planting saplings at Chowrastha.
The land and land reforms department has
admitted RECSL hasn’t sought permission to fell trees at Chowrastha.
Even so, district administration officials have maintained work for
constructing a market complex at Chowrastha is to continue as planned.
Kalimpong observers World Environment Day
KALIMPONG: 5 Jun 2014 Come June each year, the globe reverberates with slogans to save the environment. To mark World Environment Day today, various organistions and government departments stepped forward voluntarily to organise programmes in many areas of Kalimpong.
A rally was organised by the town’s civic body to spread awareness on keeping the town clean and hygienic. The participants appealed to one and all to remain conscious of the need for environment conservation.
Students from St Philomina, Saptarshree School, Girls School and Jubilee Municipality Primary School including social organisations such as HORAC, Jubilee and Who Care participated in the rally.
The municipality has indicated it is striving to bring about an enduring solution to the long-standing issue of waste and garbage disposal of town. Kalimpong Municipality chairperson Gangamaya Gurung said the upcoming bio-gas plant project will put the tons of wastes generated every day by households and commercial establishments in town to good use. The municipality is also actively planning a makeover of the heritage town. Gurung also disclosed to this correspondent that old commercial hoardings across town will soon be removed to restore the quaint beauty and warmth Kalimpong was once renowned for.(EOIC)
A rally was organised by the town’s civic body to spread awareness on keeping the town clean and hygienic. The participants appealed to one and all to remain conscious of the need for environment conservation.
Students from St Philomina, Saptarshree School, Girls School and Jubilee Municipality Primary School including social organisations such as HORAC, Jubilee and Who Care participated in the rally.
The municipality has indicated it is striving to bring about an enduring solution to the long-standing issue of waste and garbage disposal of town. Kalimpong Municipality chairperson Gangamaya Gurung said the upcoming bio-gas plant project will put the tons of wastes generated every day by households and commercial establishments in town to good use. The municipality is also actively planning a makeover of the heritage town. Gurung also disclosed to this correspondent that old commercial hoardings across town will soon be removed to restore the quaint beauty and warmth Kalimpong was once renowned for.(EOIC)