Baby Chakraborty:– Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is shocked by the district administration’s order to demolish 144 illegal resorts in Mandarmani. The Chief Minister’s order says no bulldozers will be allowed.
The East Midnapore district administration had issued a notice to demolish a total of 144 structures by November 20, in compliance with the order of the National Environment Court. No top-level official of the state administration, not even the Chief Secretary, was aware of this. The Chief Minister is furious that this decision was taken without even discussing or consulting them. It is learnt that the Chief Secretary will soon hold a meeting with the hotel owners on this issue. The Chief Minister said, “Bulldozers are not a solution. No bulldozers will be allowed.”
Out of the 144 hotels, 50 are in Dadanpatrabar alone. There are 27 in Seelampur, 30 in Mandarmani, and 36 in Sonamui area. There is a lodge in South Purushottampur. It is alleged that the hotels were built within the CR Z area without following the coastal rules. It is learnt that the National Environment Court issued this order on May 2, 2022. However, the district administration did not implement that order for two years. Therefore, the district administration wanted to implement the order on November 20 this year. This time too, it was blocked by the Chief Minister’s order.
