The CPM is using a 2015 land policy of the Mamata Banerjee government to oppose the decision to sell off or lease out unused land of Durgapur Projects Limited (DPL) to make the loss-making power utility financially viable.

In 2015, the Bengal cabinet had approved a policy in which it was stated that all those encroaching upon government land for five years or more would be given longterm settlement rights to the plots. Industrialists had then questioned the policy as they thought it would lead to problems over land availability for industrial and public purpose projects.

Armed with the 2015 land policy of the state government, CPM workers in Durgapur on Thursday began a door-to-door survey to identify the number of longtime settlers on DPL land and collect data about their whereabouts.

“We are collecting details of the people staying on DPL land for a long time. We are collecting their name, age, details of their family members and source of income. Most of them have already got the drinking water supply connection in their locality and also electricity connection in households from DPL,” said Pankaj Roy Sarkar, a CPM district secretariat member in West Burdwan.

He said the settlers, who are now being described as “encroachers” by the DPL, had been given power and drinking water connections after the government decided to legalise long-term settlers in 2015 and on the eve of the 2017 civic polls in Durgapur.

“The government now is in a hurry to sell the land to its handpicked private parties for realty projects and wants to evict people living here for a long time. By doing this they are going against their own policy. We want the government to give them long-term settlement rights but it wants to evict them,” said Roy Sarkar.

The CPM on Thursday held a mass convention to rally people’s support against the “eviction drive” and on Wednesday the party had submitted a deputation to the subdivisional officer to register its opposition to the government’s move.

The BJP, too, hit the streets on the issue on Thursday. “The government wants to evict people by labelling them as encroachers. The government is actually trying to destroy DPL, the lifeline of Durgapur,” said Chandrasekhar Banerjee, a BJP leader in Durgapur.

Opposition parties have launched their protests at a time when the DPL is conducting a digital survey on its “encroached” lands with the help of drone cameras to avoid resistance. “Initially we began a door-to-door survey but apprehending law-and-order issues we decided to take the help of drone cameras,” said a DPL official.

Sources in DPL said around 25,000 “illegal settlers” have been occupying around 200acre land of DPL. The CPM, too, has estimated a similar number of people living on DPL land.

Sources in the district administration said the drive to evict “encroachers” in such large numbers would not be an easy job. “The Opposition will surely make it an issue for political gains and that will help illegal occupants to resist the eviction drive,” said a district official.