Durgapur housing plan 'hurts' heritage site ABHIJEET CHATTERJEE Construction equipment near the heritage pond in Durgapur; the tunnel that is also part of the heritage site. Pictures by Arup Sarkar Durgapur, May 22: The Trinamul-run Asansol-Durgapur Development Authority (ADDA) has restarted a housing project it had stopped earlier because of the site's proximity to a heritage tunnel and pond used in the Mughal era. Around 200 Durgapur residents have submitted memorandums to the Burdwan district magistrate, Durgapur mayor and the pollution control board, accusing the private real-estate developers of damaging the pond. They alleged that earth dug up from the project site was being dumped into the pond on one end of the tunnel, reducing the size of the waterbody. They also feared that once the housing complex was built, pumps would suck the pond's water. According to local historians and administrative officials, women in the Mughal era used to bathe inside the tunnel, using the water of the pond. According to local lore, years later, the tunnel was used by dacoit Bhabani Pathak to escape from British soldiers and zamindars. The heritage conservation committee of the Durgapur Municipal Corporation declared the tunnel and the pond a heritage site in 2009. A signboard was put up, mentioning that under the West Bengal Preservation of Historical Monuments and Objects and Excavation of Archaeological Sites Act, 1957, damaging heritage sites was a punishable offence. The maximum punishment under the act is 10 years' imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 5,000. "Following a survey by the West Bengal Heritage Commission, our heritage conservation committee had declared the tunnel and the rectangular pond a heritage site," said Rathin Roy, a former Left mayor and president of the heritage conservation committee of Durgapur. Trinamul had opposed the construction of the residential complex — Aquapolis — when it began in 2010. It is being built by ADDA in association with two private developers. Construction was stopped after Trinamul took charge of ADDA in 2011. Asansol mayor Tapas Banerjee was then in charge of the authority. But current ADDA chairman Nikhil Banerjee has allowed the two developers to resume work, sparking criticism from the residents. "The developers are destroying the pond by dumping earth. We have urged the administration to stop the project immediately," said Sudhajit Mukherjee, a human rights activist. Dutta Builders and Developers Pvt Ltd and SSE Nirman Pvt Ltd had bagged the contract to construct the residential complex in the public-private partnership mode. Kamal Dutta, the owner of Dutta Builders and Developers Pvt Ltd, said he was not aware that the pond and the tunnel were a heritage site. "I have no idea that it is a heritage site. I purchased the land from ADDA at Rs 2 lakh a cottah and promised to sell them 16 of the 160 flats at cost price. I have also paid ADDA Rs 405 a sqft of the proposed building area," Dutta said. ADDA chairman Nikhil Banerjee said the developers were allowed to resume work after they "promised" that they would not damage the heritage site. "The project was conceived and registered during the Left rule and so I could not scrap it. I have asked the developers to restart work but not to damage the pond and the tunnel," he said. CPM sources said Dutta was close to Diprendu Chakraborty, who was a member of the ADDA board when the housing project began. Chakraborty refused comment on the project. "I was only a member of the ADDA board and did not sanction the project," he said. CPM MP Bansagopal Chowdhury, who was the then ADDA chairman, was not available for comment. District magistrate O.S. Meena said: "We have asked ADDA to preserve the sanctity of the heritage site, considering the public sentiment." http://www.telegraphindia.com/1130523/jsp/bengal/story_16928791.jsp