The plaintiffs’ ire is directed at the SSDA, which, they allege, has violated the spirit of the university town by leveraging traditional Viswa Bharati festivals like Basanta Utsav and Paus Mela to attract tourists. They also accuse the SSDA of handing over large tracts of agricultural land belonging to the Viswa Bharati to promoters for constructing residential buildings and tourist complexes. Somnath Chatterjee, the CPI(M) MP from Bolpur and SSDA chairman, refutes these allegations. "It was a free-for-all at Shantiniketan before the SSDA was created. We’ve framed building rules and stopped unplanned growth."
