BUXA TIGER RESERVE

Stir plan against BTR HQ shifting

 

COOCH BEHAR, Oct. 30: A movement is being taking shape in Alipurduar against the proposed shifting of the headquarters of the Buxa Tiger Reserve to Jalpaiguri from Alipurduar.

 

Minister of state, public works department, Mr Manohar Tirkey and Alipurduar MLA Mr Nirmal Das already submitted a memorandum expressing their displeasure to the chief minister, the forest minister and the principal secretary of forest department. Several organisations of the region including Sara Bangla Bana-karmochari Samity and North Bengal Forest Mazdoor Union (NBFMU) too came out against implementation of the plan.

 

Alipurduar MLA Mr Nirmal Das said the headquarters of the Buxa Tiger Reserve has been functioning at Alipurduar since 1983. No situation arose here that prompted the authorities to shift the 25-year-old headquarters, he argued. "We will wait till second week of November for the government to reconsider the plan and then organise massive movement against it", Mr Das said. He is also the president of the NBFMU where Mr Tirkey is the secretary.

 

The Alipurduar MLA declared that he would mention the issue in the state Assembly too. It is nothing but a conspiracy to undermine the spirit of the people of Alipurduar when they are striving to get the status of a separate district for Alipurduar, Mr Das alleged.

 

Several attempts failed when this correspondent tried to contact the state forest minister Mr Ananta Roy to get his comments over the issue as the phone rang unanswered. []