UDAIPUR, April 8 (TIWN): The way everything is going Udaipur, popularly known as the Lake City( Sarobar Nagari) is certain to lose its prestigious jewel. Future generation will always curse DM Gomati Sonal Goel for her one sided and arrogant attitude favoring CPI-M Political Masters. Indeed, since Sonal Goel assumed the chair of DM Gomati, many of the lakes of Udaipur have already been vanished and according to a highly placed sources in the DM Gomati's office it is learnt that in most of the cases DM Gomati has been very lenient towards the political masters for some mysterious reasons, especially when the question of land diversion arises. It is to be mentioned here that DM Gomati Sonal Goel,by virtue of her post , is the Chairman of the Gomati District Land Diversion Committee and whenever an agricultural land or any lake or pond is converted into a Bastu Land , it has to get a clearance certificate from DM Gomati. And during the last three years land diversion has taken a serious jump not only at Udaipur but also in the entire Gomati District under the rule of Sonal Goel.As such more and more lakes are now losing their existence and many have already have already vanished.

What is even more interesting is that in the year 2015 DM Gomati gave her consent to the CPI-M Party's Nutan Bazar Local Committee to construct its party office in Gov't Khash land.

From the Agenda Note for " Review Meetings on Revenue Related Matters with SDMs and other Line Deptt" held in the DM Gomati's conference Hall on 22/01/2015 it was decided that that Gov't Khash land( Viti {Tilla}) of 0.20Acre under Nutanbazar Mouja( same Tehsil ) would be allotted to CPI-M Nutan Bazar local committee. ( document enclosed as Picture below).

In Chapter III ( Land and land revenue) in  page 9 of   The Tripura Land Revenue and Land Reforms Act 1960 No 43 of 1960 it has been categorically mentioned in the Section 20 paragraph 2," Permission to divert may be refused by the competent authority only on the ground that the diversion is likely to cause a public nuisance or that it is not in the interest of the general public or that the holder is unable or unwilling to comply with the conditions that may be imposed under sub-section (3). " Thus, from the very act it is clear that diversion permission of a land can only be given only when it is in the interest of the general public.

Recently a huge lake in Shanti Pally area ( Ward no  12) under Udaipur Municipal Council is being filled up in broad day light denying all objections from the people living in the concerned. 

Two years back, the same Shanti Pally lake illegal filling was tried but at that time administration especially the then Udaipur Nagar Panchayat Chairman Nishikanta Das came into huge pressure when the news of the said incident was published in TRIPURAINFOWAY.com and immediately it was stopped. 

But this time DM Gomati is so arrogant , as alleged by the local people, that she even didn't respond to the complaints lodged by the local people led by the CPI-M  Councillor Shikha  Chakraborty Purakayastha .  The local people also lodged complaint to the Chairperson of Udaipur Municipal Council Subrata Deb.

But Subrata Deb is learnt to have expressed his inability to do anything in this regard as the permission to fill up the land was given by DM Gomati ; not by the UMC.  Even Subrata Deb himself visited the spot and was helpless as his influence is much lesser than DM Gomati.

But the question is ," How can a DM grant permission for diversion without consent from the Municipality ?" Thus, there is ample hints about the statement of Subrata Deb given to the local people.

In this connection a highly placed TIWN sources in the DM Gomati's office revealed a shocking fact saying ," After the publication of the news in TRIPURAINFOWAY.com regarding this illegal filling of lake in ShantiPally the then SDM Udaipur ordered an enquiry in the said matter. Accordingly two DCMs namely Sabyasachi Sinha and Pritam Sarkar conducted the said enquiry and in their reports submitted to the SDM ( later forwarded to DM Gomati) these two DCMs categorically mentioned that the said diversion is not in the interests of the general public and hence permission for this said diversion may not be accorded. " Still the DM Gomati granted permission for diversion that certainly indicated that there was something ' behind the curtains ' in this case.

Interestingly another enquiry was done at the same time regarding the diversion of a lake owned by one Chameli Chakraborty, an aged woman  residing in Town Sonmura area under Udaipur Sub Division. During the enquiry the officials found that the lake owned by Chameli Chakraborty was spreading pollution as a bad smell was always coming out of it leading to serious problems to the people living on the banks of that river as well as the students reading in the Anganwadi Centre on the east bank of the lake. 

Local people too complained to the officials during the enquiry that they are spending their lives in a miserable condition ; as such they requested the officials to take initiatives to fill up the lake. Accordingly local people submitted an application to the SDM Udaipur giving their ' No Objection' regarding the said diversion of the lake. In the meantime Chameli Chakraborty's husband was diagnosed as a cancer patient and then she filed another application urging the district administration to give diversion permission as she would sell the filled up land simply to meet the medical expenditure of her husband. Unfortunately Chairman of the District Level Diversion Committee DM Gomati refused her application forgetting all the emotions of humanity. 

But in the case of present lake at Shanti Pally area. Owned by CPI-M leader Amulya Das & Co she permitted the diversion application though it was against the interest of the locality.

It is to be mentioned here that the owner of this lake was Late Rashomoy Das and later on the ownership was handed over to the other members and relatives of his family. The family is closely linked with CPI-M as co-owner Amulya Das was a former member of Panchayat Samiti .

 An official told this correspondent that permission is granted to fill up the banks ; not the lake but taking the advantage of the unholy alliance with the District administration the owners are simply filling up the lake.

 A top level ruling party member( unwilling to reveal name) alleged that a relative of a heavy weight MLA has already purchased a plot of land for initiating his hotel business . And another heavy influential leader of the district too is in hunt to buy another plot ( on the filled portion of the lake ) in the western side of this lake.

Disappointed with the attitude of the Sonal Goel led District administration local people lodged complaints to the Ministry of Environment , Gov't of India and subsequently this complaint has been forwarded to the Principal Secretary , Revenue Department, Gov't of Tripura. Till date no step has been taken.

Now it is learnt that  the people of this area will submit their complaint to Chief Secretary and the Governor Tathagata Roy for futher actions.