Ahead of the forthcoming Assembly elections, police, in coordination with the concerned authorities, carried out an eviction drive at Porajhar along the banks of the Mahananda near Siliguri on Wednesday, demolishing several makeshift structures allegedly built on government land.
The sudden action left many local residents and a section of political leaders taken aback. Police also served notice to several families who have constructed houses on irrigation department land, informing them that their structures could face demolition shortly.
As officials and police personnel arrived at the site, residents gathered in large numbers, attempting to resist the demolition and urging the media to convey their plea for rehabilitation to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Many claimed they had nowhere else to go.
Political observers see the development as significant, given that Assembly elections are due within a few months.
According to local sources, most of the residents are working-class Hindus who migrated from different parts of the neighbouring regions and initially lived in rented accommodations. Over time, many allegedly purchased small plots along the riverbank, reportedly paying up to Rs 80,000 per cottah through local Trinamul Congress leaders. Allegations have surfaced that sections of local leaders had illegally sold government land at inflated prices.
During the drive, plainclothes police personnel informed residents that they would have to vacate the land. When some expressed their inability to do so, they were advised to approach the police station and submit applications clarifying their land status. Officials later assured residents that their houses would not be demolished immediately and requested cooperation to continue clearing makeshift structures under high-tension power transmission lines linked to the power grid.