Silchar municipal board in the soup over water park project at Gandhi Park

The Silchar Municipal Board’s decision to set up a water park cum commercial complex at Gandhi Park in Silchar has apparently pushed it in a spot of bother with Congress ward commissioner and president of Adarsh NGO Ranjan Roy moving the court claiming the municipal board did not take any permission from the government for the project.

Roy, who has filed two cases against Silchar Municipal Board chairperson Niharendra Narayan Tagore and Partha Sarathi Choudhury, managing director, Assam Progressive Developers’ Limited (APDL), with the Civil Judge Court in Silchar, said as per Article-63 of the Assam Municipal Act, 1955, permission is mandatory from the government if any land/place under the municipal authority is given to any organisation or company on lease. However, the Niharendra Narayanan Tagore-led municipal board has not taken any permission from the government, he alleged.

He claimed the municipal board has given the park’s land to APDL on lease and that is clearly mentioned in a 22-page agreement which has been prepared in connection with the upcoming project. Moreover, two parties have to be taken into account in case of construction in PPP-model and accordingly signatures of the municipal board’s chairperson along with the signature of one more ward commissioner is needed. But the agreement prepared by Tagore for the project is having his signature only and as such the agreement has not been made as per guidelines, Roy alleged.

Roy also raised questions on the amount of security money (Rs. 10 lakh) in connection with which the land was given to APDL. He pointed out that a land having an area at Sanjay Market of around 1 bigha was given taking Rs. 10 lakh as the security money and asked how did the municipal board give the park’s land of around 19 bighas against that amount. “Unlawful practices will not be tolerated,” Roy added.

Tagore was not available for his reaction over the matter.