The Darjeeling district administration has begun marking off vacant lands in each block and displaying signboards, as per the direction of chief minister Mamata Banerjee. This initiative aims to curb land mafias from encroaching on government-owned land.

The Naxalbari block authorities, in collaboration with the land and land reforms department, have identified a 2.47 acre piece of land in south Bagdogra today. This action was taken after receiving a complaint from residents that the land had been illegally seized by a group of troublemakers.

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Following the chief minister’s directive, the Trinamul Congress-controlled municipalities in north Bengal are conducting meetings to address the issue of illegal occupation of sidewalks and to identify government-owned land that has been taken over by a faction of promoters associated with the ruling party.

After one TMC leader, Debasish Pramanik, was arrested in the Dabgram Fulbari area of Jalpaiguri district, the residents anticipate further arrests of individuals involved in land grabbing and promotion. This has prompted CPM leaders in the Darjeeling district to bring up various concerns.

According to Jibesh Sarkar, the CPM leader, the land grabbing incident in Dabgram Fulbari is just a small part of a larger problem. A group of individuals aligned with the Trinamul is perpetrating a similar event in all locations.

Jibesh Sarkar, a prominent member of CPM, expressed disapproval of the state government’s abrupt choice to disband the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA). He also questioned any actions taken against those responsible for the Rs 200-crore scandal within the SJDA. Additionally, he alleged that the chief minister placed an IPS police officer on mandatory leave for arresting an IAS officer, who was serving as the CEO of SJDA.

The Dabgram incident, according to Saman Pathak, the CPM secretary for Darjeeling, and former member of Rajya Sabha, was simply a display with no real substance.

According to the CPM leaders, the chief minister has recently implemented strict measures against her party members in response to the analysis of Lok Sabha election outcomes in north Bengal, in order to restore her party’s reputation.

Despite being closely monitored by the local government, Abhijit Saha, a retired police officer living in Babupara, Siliguri’s ward 26, voiced his powerlessness as a group of troublemakers have issued threats against him for speaking out against an unauthorized building project that is encroaching on his property. Despite repeated appeals to both the police and the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, no measures have been taken.

“During the evening, stones are being thrown by an unknown person. I am enduring torture and constantly living in a state of fear in this place,” Mr Saha said.