Storm brews over Santiniketan park

BOLPUR/KOLKATA: A storm is brewing in the abode of peace. The ashramites at Tagore's Santiniketan are gearing up to launch an agitation against inauguration of a park at Taltore, in the backyard of the university township.
Some of the prominent citizens, led by painter Jogen Chowdhury, has planned an agitation during the inauguration of a part of the park on Sunday by former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.
Writer Mahasweta Devi and artist Shuvaprasanna are likely to participate in the agitation programme against environmental damage in and around Santiniketan an issue they have been advocating for since 2006.
Interestingly, the Sreeniketan-Santiniketan Development Authority (SSDA), that had arranged for the land when Chatterjee was the chairman, is not involved in the inauguration programme. A Kolkata-based development agency, Surjee Consultants, has invited Chatterjee to inaugurate the park.
Ram Chandra Dome, CPM MP and present chairman of the SSDA will not attend the programme. "I have another engagement on Sunday," the SSDA chairman said. So did SSDA executive officer Puspendu Mitra. "I have got an invite. I am yet to make up my mind. The SSDA has no role in this programme, apart from the fact it arranged for the land. But that was before I joined SSDA," Mitra said.
Sensing the mood of his former comrades and the defiance of a section of residents, the former Lok Sabha Speaker has also decided not to go to the programme. "I don't want to get into a confrontation with those who are taking an anti-people stance. It is not an entertainment park as some would call it. It is purely a Nature Park. I don't know why they are saying that there is not a drop of water in this area. I would request you to visit the area and the park as well to get a first hand experience. But I am not going," Chatterjee said.
Trouble has been brewing in the area since 2006 against quite a few housing projects. Some people were against it, claiming that it was doing damage to the environment of Santiniketan that is likely to get the World Heritage tag from the Unesco. Even though Taltore is not on the Visva-Bharati campus, some ashramites and luminaries are up in arms against such construction activities and the park, which they argue do not go with the spirit of Tagore.
Mahasweta Devi wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh against the realty projects that finally got a go-ahead from court. Later, Susanta Tagore and others moved court against what they call an entertainment park. "How can they inaugurate a park when the matter is sub judice?" said Jogen Chowdhury.
On Saturday, a group of ashramites led by Chowdhury held a meeting near Kanch Mandir to mobilize support for the agitation. It was decided that a demonstration would be organized on Sunday if the inauguration was not scrapped.
"The project is nothing but an effort to destroy the environment around Santiniketan. The waterbody, which was once used by the local villagers, has been fenced and an entertainment park has been built there. In the name of development, nature is being sold out for commercial interests. We have heard that Somnath Chatterjee will inaugurate the park. He had allotted the land and waterbody to a private developer. But as the project is still in court for a final verdict, we believe it is illegal," said Chowdhury.