Traders wait for leasing out of land

Statesman News Service

MALDA, 5 JUNE: The state public works department (roads) took initiative to lease out its lands to vendors under the flyover on the eastern side of the National Highway 34 in February this year. The vendors are currently occupying the area illegally. However, nothing has been done.

The PWD minster Mr. Kshiti Goswami has already agreed to lease out its lands and on 22 January 2009 the minister approved the application submitted by the Malda Merchants’ Chamber of Commerce (MMCC) demanding ‘permanent settlement’ of 82 small traders who are occupying the area below the Rathbari Flyover illegally.

It may be noted that the PWD minister had agreed to lease out the disputed area below the flyover subject to terms and conditions.

Before agreement it was decided that the MMCC would construct stalls for traders at their own cost, according to the guidelines formulated by the PWD engineers. The MMCC will have to follow these designs and vacate some areas to ensure the safety of the flyover.

In February , the executive engineer PWD ( roads) Mr. Ram Chanda had informed the matter to the MMCC and sought help of the land acquisition department to provide government guidelines to calculate the rent and salami ( one time payment ) for stalls to be handed over to the small traders.

“The venture is at a standstill now. There is no report of further development. We did not get the assessment report from the land acquisition department till date. MMCC representatives did not contact us after completing the formalities “, said Mr. Ram Chanda.

Mr. T K Sharangi, special land acquisition officer, said: “We had got the proposal from the PWD and already assigned a surveyor to assess the rent and other fees. The report would be sent to the concerned department shortly”.

The district secretary of the MMCC Mr. Jayanta Kundu said : “ We had applied to the Malda SP seeking an NOC ( no objection certificate ) from the police department on 25 February this year , but have not received it . As we didn’t have an NOC from the police department, we did not seek an NOC from the fire brigade”.

The PWD has specifically mentioned that tea stalls or food stalls i.e. stalls where fire would be used – would not allowed under the fly over for safety reasons.