Local party workers have cleared out three structures that were being used as Trinamul Congress party offices in New Town.

The last to be cleared this week was one opposite Shukhobrishti, near the Iskcon cowshed, in Action Area III.

The action comes in the wake of a high court directive to the state government on May 10 to take steps for “removal or demolition of unauthorised structures” on empty plots owned by the Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (Hidco) in New Town.

Earlier, the structure at the T-junction at the end of Street 97 adjacent to Pride Plaza hotel in BA Block was cleared. A visit to the spot revealed campaign material still lying strewn on the floor of the room. Though the TV set had been removed, a dish antenna affixed to the lamppost in front as also a cemented stand for flag hoisting were intact, as was the structure itself.

According to the local panchayat representative Anupam Maity, the directive to clear the office came from the Rajarhat New Town MLA Tapash Chatterjee. The third party office in DC Block, near Visarjan Ghat, has also been cleared.

Inside the vacated structure which was used as Trinamul party office

But local residents point out that only a part of the structure’s roof has been removed, leaving the rest intact. “There are about 16 illegal hawkers who have set up shop in stalls along the pavement, running everything from pice hotel to chicken shop. So it is only a matter of time that the erstwhile party office is taken over for yet another illegal shop to mushroom,” they say.

The order had been passed by Justice Amrita Sinha in response to a petition filed by New Town resident and CPM leader Saptarshi Deb that illegal constructions were being used as party offices of Trinamul Congress.

“It is upto the police now to ensure compliance of the court order in entirety. All of New Town stands on land acquired by Hidco for a planned township where every square feet has a demarcated use. If the vacant structures stand, those plots cannot be used for anything else. Any encroachment is denying me as a resident of planned sustainable development,” Deb argued.

He added that he had filed another case which was heard alongside the original one, enlisting 35 more illegal structures on Hidco land. “The list was emailed to the authorities on May 9 and a second court order, dated May 24, encompasses those as well,” he pointed out.

An NKDA official said since the land was owned by Hidco the responsibility was theirs, a claim that was rejected by Deb’s counsel Samim Ahammed who attributed it to joint responsibility.

“We will file for contempt if there is no compliance,” Ahammed added.