VICTOR PALACE

Renovated Victor Palace inauguration differs

The inauguration of the proposed heritage guesthouse at the renovated Victor Palace has been postponed. According to an earlier plan, the state tourism minister was to inaugurate the luxurious guesthouse at the historic building on Monday. West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation sources said as the minister was busy with other schedules he would not find out time to come to Cooch Behar to inaugurate the renovated palace. It would be done in near future when the minister would be able to visit Cooch Behar. The date and time of the inaugural programme will be announced later, sources said.

District magistrate of Cooch Behar Ms Smaraki Mahapatra too is not aware of any information over the inauguration of the Victor Palace.

On the otherhand, Cooch Behar Nagarik Adhikar Raksha Committee said they expected setting up of an art gallery or a cultural centre at the palace but the government was trying to open a 'tourist lodge and bar' at the palace. The president of the organisation Mr Debashis Mukherjee claimed that according to the information available at the website of National Informatics Centre till last year the Victor Palace was to be treated as a cultural heritage centre but the government was not doing that. They already pointed out the matter to the attention of the district magistrate, Mr Mukherjee said.

The president of Cooch Behar Heritage Society Mr Dipen Chanda too turned disheartened after getting informed that the Victor Palace was going to house a luxurious guesthouse. "We are going to make an appeal to the tourism minister to reconsider the plan to convert the beautiful heritage building into a luxurious hotel-like guesthouse", Mr Chanda said. He however praised the government for the thorough renovation of the dilapidated building from being ruined down.