In Siliguri, 166 refugee families recently got land rights. They got the land deed after having fought since the Left Front era. On the same day, Tourism Minister Gautam Dev officially handed over the documents to them. The idea prevalent in the political circles is that the Trinamool Congress has taken such an initiative to capture the refugee vote bank before the assembly vote. The TMC, however, is reluctant to accept it.

In the face of the Assembly vote of 2021, discussion over this matter has gained momentum. Jantanagar Colony is one of the refugee colonies in Siliguri. It is located in ward no. 44 of the city. Most of the residents here are small traders. Many work in other people’s stores. They have been living here for 30-40 years. The Refugee, Relief and Rehabilitation Department of the Land and Land Reforms Department handed over the land deeds to them at a function held at Dasharathpalli. Apart from the officers of the concerned departments, Tourism Minister and Trinamool leader Dulal Dutt was also present on the occasion.

The tourism minister said that the residents of the colony do not have land deeds even though they have been living there for decades and added that a few days ago he came to know about the matter from the local residents. After discussing the matter with the administration, the land rights of the residents were given.

After the land deeds being handed over to the 166 families, they will get all the government facilities easily. Besides, they will not have any problem in getting bank loan for business and home construction.

The local residents are also overwhelmed. Some of them said that they have been living in this refugee colony for a long time and that they have been fighting for land rights since the years under the rule of Left Front government. They added that now they can sleep peacefully. They asserted that earlier they could not sleep for so long in the panic of NRC and CAA.

There is a buzz in the political arena that the people at the grassroots are standing by the refugees in the face of the Assembly vote. According to political observers, the refugees turned away from the grassroots in the last Lok Sabha polls. The TMC has taken such an initiative to mould their minds before the assembly vote of the coming year.

CPM leader Dilip Singh said that it was nothing but fooling the slum dwellers before the vote. Dulal Dutt, Trinamool Congress district committee leader and co-ordinator in Ward No. 36, however, said that it had nothing to do with politics and that the previous Left Front government could not do the needful. Dutt added, “The tourism minister has given them land rights and hundreds more residents will be given land deeds. This colony will then be transformed into an ideal colony.”