Cold storage turns hot over compensation issue

 

COOCH BEHAR, Aug. 23: The Cooch Behar Samabay Himghar Samiti Limited (CSHSL), a co-operative society that runs a cold storage at Chakchaka, is considering knocking of the doors of the court against the district administration of Cooch Behar.

 

The district administration had advised the society not to operate the functioning of Chakchaka Samabay Himghar (cold storage) till reducing of its height to pave the way for resuming of air service from the nearby Cooch Behar Airport. Accordingly the cold storage at Chachaka stopped functioning for about a year. As compensation the cold storage authority claimed about Rs 1.5-crore from the district administration but the amount is yet to be recovered.

 

The chairman of CSHSL Mr Kedarnath Ray said they had to keep the clod storage defunct for about a year and following that they suffered a loss to the tune of Rs 58-lakh.

 

Meanwhile, the downsizing of the height of the 62-feet high Chakchaka Samabay Himghar was going on since 1 August following a notice served by the administrative authorities of the district. The work was going on under supervision of public works department to decrease the height by 18-and-half feet. On 13 August one labourer was killed and several others were injured when the rooftop of the building collapsed during dismantling of the roof. As a result the work was suspended.

 

A CSHSL official said the cold storage might lose its functionality due to reduced height but they had agreed to downsize the height considering the necessity of resumption of air service from the nearby Cooch Behar Airport.

 

Following the CSHSL's claim for about Rs 1-crore as compensation for the reduced height the district administration conducted a study and settled an amount after examining all aspects. But that sum is yet to be paid, a CSHSL official said. He mentioned that though no compensation was paid they never hesitated to extend co-operation to the administration to continue the downsizing process.

 

The CSHSL chairman said they are considering of legal action as the payment of compensation is pending for a long.

 

Commenting over the issue the Cooch Behar ADM (Development) Mr Pannalal Mahapatra said the delay was being caused by some rules and norms. All documents related to the compensation were sent to the superintending engineer of Jalpaiguri division of public works department. Paying of compensation will not be delayed after getting the necessary instruction from the competent authority because there is fund with the administration for the purpose, he assured. []