AGARTALA: A major scandal has rocked Agartala’s prominent Maharajganj Bazar following allegations that market committee leaders illegally sold off government land worth lakhs of rupees.
According to sources, the Municipal Corporation had previously allocated a vacant space behind the market’s public toilet for temporary use by local traders. Once those traders relocated back to their permanent spots, the land fell vacant. Seizing this opportunity, Nakul Debnath (Secretary, Retail Vegetable Traders’ Association), Bikash Saha (Secretary, Wholesale Committee), and Harihar Debnath (Vice President, Khanna Market) reportedly conspired to sell the public land to private buyers.
The trio allegedly sold two shop plots to a local businessman, Uttam Karmakar, for ₹20 lakh, and another plot to a small trader for ₹12 lakh.
The fraudulent deal came to light when the buyers began constructing a permanent brick building on the site. Spotting the illegal construction, the Market’s Central Committee immediately intervened, halted the work, and alerted the media. The Central Committee has demanded a high-level inquiry, questioning how public property could be sold off so brazenly and how fake tenancy (touzi) documents were managed for the transaction.