Kolkata, Feb 7 (IANS): Hamro Party, which recently lost control of the Darjeeling municipality after six of its elected councillors defected to the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM)-Trinamool Congress alliance, said on Tuesday that illegal construction in the hills, which stopped during its tenure, have resumed following the change in guards in the board.

Ritesh Portal, who was the Chairman of the earlier Hamro Party-controlled board in the Darjeeling municipality, said that the board had stopped 46 illegal constructions in the hills during its tenure.

"Notices were issued to the owners and authorities of all these 46 constructions. Two illegal constructions were also demolished. However, all these illegal construction works have resumed again. Our demand to the new board is to immediately stop such illegal constructions or else there will be a Joshimath-like crisis here as well," Portal said.

He also alleged that the Hamro Party actually had to pay the price for acting tough against illegal constructions.

"Before the polls for Darjeeling municipality in February last year, we had promised to take action against illegal constructions in the hills. We started working accordingly. The grand conspiracy started there and we were unethically removed from the board," he said.

Portal also said that the Hamro Party councillors will raise the issue in the next meeting of the board.

He added that the matter has already been intimated to the new chairman of the board, Dipen Thakuri. The latter, however, refused to make any comment on the allegations.

Meanwhile, BGPM chief and the chief executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), Anit Thapa, dismissed the allegations and said that the new board is aware of the danger of illegal constructions.

"We are keeping a close watch on the matter and will take necessary action whenever required," Thapa said.