Siliguri, June 19. - Some are calling
it the `corridor of hope` and others say it will turn out
to be the `corridor of destruction.` The proposed East-West
Corridor which will connect Surat in Gujarat to Shilchar in Assam
via Siliguri and Dooars, has split the residents of this region.
The debate is not restricted among the
people, the Left Front committees of the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri
districts have also been caught up in it; as are voluntary organisations,
trade bodies and NGOs of the two districts.
]According to current plans, the corridor is scheduled to pass
through Dooars running across Sevoke, Mongpong, Oodlabari, Malbazar,
Birpara, Hasimara and other small Dooars settlements before crossing
over to Assam.
While Darjeeling district residents want the corridor to pass through
the designated route, those in Jalpaiguri want a change in course.
They are demanding that the corridor should pass through Fulbari,
Jalpaiguri, Mainaguri, Dhupguri and Cooch Behar, sparing the Dooars.
While the Darjeeling district Left Front has rooted for the Dooars
route, Jalpaiguri CPI-M MLA Mrs. Minati Sen is against it. She is
being supported by former parliamentarian Mr. Debaprasad Roy and
the Jalpaiguri Sangrami Mancha.The proposed route will benefit Sikkim
and will graduate into a Saarc Road to facilitate trade with neighbouring
countries such as Nepal and Bhutan in future,` Mr. Asok Bhattacharya,
Darjeeling district Left Front convenor and state urban development
minister said.
`The proposed route will destroy Dooars` huge forest wealth,
prove detrimental to wild life and cause a number of other problems,`
said Mrs. Sen and Mr. Roy.
They are being supported by environment activists. So do the Jalpaiguri
Sangrami Mancha, Cooch Behar MPs Mr. Amar Roy Pradhan and Mr. Tarini
Roy. In their opinion, the corridor will be nothing less than environmental
disaster if it passes through the Dooars region.
`Since it is a riverine zone, number of bridges would have
to be constructed to accommodate the new highway. This could disturb
the natural course of the large number of rivers flowing through
the Dooars and increase the possibility of floods,` Dr. Subir
Sarkar of the North Bengal University's Geography department said.
According to the environmental experts, more than 2,000 hectares
of forest would be lost to the corridor if it passes through the
Dooars. Predictably, the Darjeeling district Left Front is not ready to
buy the argument. `If the corridor is routed through Jalpaiguri,
it would deny development to Sikkim and also hurt the Teesta command
area,` Darjeeling Left Front MP Mr. Sangdopal Lepcha said.
He has written to the chairman of the National Highway Authority
of India urging speedy progress of the corridor through Dooars via
Siliguri.
Dooars residents all want the corridor to pass through their area.
`The opposition is unfortunate particularly because the Dooars
is part of the Jalpaiguri district,` said members of the Dooars
East-West Corridor Movement Committee. The committee has received
support from the Malbazar Byabasayee Samnnay Committee. `The
corridor would give a big boost to the tea, timber and tourism industries
if it passes through the Dooars. moreover, as land is readily available,
the mater of compensation can also be avoided, which would not be
possible if the corridor is rerouted through the agriculture belt
of Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar,` MBSC members said.
The Dooars route has also received support from the Alipurduar
RSP MP Mr. Joachim Buxla and former state PWD minister Mr. Manohar
Tirkey.
`It is the corridor of hope for the people of Dooars,`
Mr. Buxla said. The long neglected region would get a facelift once
the corridor becomes operational, he said.
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