A decision by the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) to stop issuing land user compatibility certificates (LUCC) over the past couple of months has plunged the business fraternity of Siliguri and Jalpaiguri into a crisis.

Because of this decision, several commercial and residential projects in the
region have come to a grinding halt.

“The state government has dissolved the board of the SJDA. That’s why over the past couple of months, LUCCs have not been issued. Due to this delay, private investors and realtors have not been able to initiate various projects,” said Kishor Marodia, the general secretary of North Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industries.

He went on to add: “We have done a rough estimation and it has been found that in Jalpaiguri district, around ₹200 crore could not be invested during the past two months as LUCCs were not issued.”

To carry out any construction work within the SJDA area which covers most parts of the Siliguri sub-division and the neighbouring Jalpaiguri district, it is necessary to get an LUCC from the SJDA.

“Also, panchayats and panchayat samitis used to issue the LUCC earlier. But since July this year, it was clarified that only the SJDA will issue it. However, soon after the order, the board of the SJDA which comprised nominated members, was dissolved. This has led to the impasse,” Marodia added.

“The Jalpaiguri Zilla Parishad is not accepting the LUCCs issued by the rural bodies for approving the plan of any construction and is asking for the SJDA’s LUCC. We are in a fix,” he said.

Last week, a delegation of the trade bodies met Shama Parveen, the district magistrate of Jalpaiguri, on this issue.

Surajit Pal, the general secretary of North Bengal Industries’ Association, said investors are also perturbed as there are indications that they would be forced to bear additional costs.

Some investors, he said, paid fees to the rural bodies to get an LUCC.

“Now that the Jalpaiguri Zilla Parishad is seeking LUCCs issued only by the SJDA. We don’t know whether the fees paid to the rural bodies earlier would be refunded. If that’s forfeited, it would add to the project cost as the investor has to pay the fees to the SJDA again,” said Pal.

In Jalpaiguri, hundreds of projects have halted in Rajganj and Jalpaiguri Sadar blocks.

“Unless the LUCC is provided and the construction plan is approved, no one can initiate the construction work. We want the state government to address the issue immediately,” Pal added.

DM Parveen said the decision has been made at higher levels.

“We have forwarded the issues raised by the trade bodies to appropriate quarters. But till now, it is mandatory to obtain an LUCC from the SJDA,” she said.

Clean-up drive

The Himalayan Hospitality & Tourism Development Network (HHTDN), an apex body of tourism stakeholders, held a cleanliness drive on the platform of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) at Siliguri Junction on Sunday. The event was organised in association with the Calcutta office of Union tourism ministry and some other organisations. Joytirmoy Biswas, the additional director of the Calcutta office of tourism ministry, was present at the event with railway officials. During the drive, HHTDN also handed over 10 eco dustbins to the DHR and the Siliguri Junction
authorities.