Complaint against tourism dept to President 

COOCH BEHAR, July 13: The Sagardighi in Cooch Behar town is fast becoming a centre of controversy following the ongoing beautification programme. 

A senior member of All India Congress Committee (AICC) from Cooch Behar, Mrs Sabita Roy alleged that the state tourism department is engaged in wasting a huge amount of government money in the name of beautification of Sagardighi. Sagardighi is a large pond situated in the midst of Cooch Behar town. It was dug in the days of Maharajas of Cooch Behar as a source of water. An aggrieved Mrs Roy sent a two-page letter to the President of India, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam. In the letter she described her complaints in detail. 

Mrs Roy requested the President to intervene to “stop the vandalism on the traditional beauty and serenity of Cooch Behar by the tourism department” and save the sanctity of the heritage town. She wrote a similar letter to the state chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee a few days ago. 

The senior AICC leader said that the Congress run Cooch Behar Municipality already added fencing and installed music system surrounding the Sagardighi. One can hear the melodies and news on any afternoon or evening during strolling around the area. The fencing and the garden on its banks made it more beautiful. Not only the citizens but other visitors too praised it. But now the state tourism department is demolishing the railings and covering the green grass area of its four sides with concrete footpath. The then Maharajas introduced a scientific drainage system but that is too going to be abolished. 

Mrs Roy alleged that the ongoing beautification programme of Sagardighi with lakhs of Rupees is nothing but a meaningless wastage of money, as the already beautiful Sagardighi needs no make-up by the tourism department. 

The senior Congress leader said that she tried to know about the beautification drive but no local official was able to throw any light over it. The Cooch Behar Municipality constructed the railing surrounding the Sagardighi about ten years ago and there is no visible reason to remove or replace it, she added. She alleged that citizens smelt a rat behind the entire matter. It may be a process to please some contractors by some influential persons by wasting government fund, she suspected. 

Cooch Behar Municipality sources said that they have no knowledge about the ongoing beautification programme. Sagardighi is already a beautiful spot. If the tourism department truly wants to beautify the heritage town they can do it by beautifying the Laldighi, Chandandighi or other ponds. A senior government official said that they only heard that the tourism department is doing the beautification that is a project of about Rs 50-lakh. He denied adding more words to his comment.