The reconstruction of the Hollong Forest Bungalow inside West Bengal’s Jaldapara National Park has been given a March deadline, with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari saying the work is progressing and should be completed by then.
Adhikari announced the timeline after attending a government programme for Rhino Day at Neel Ground in Alipurduar during his north Bengal visit. Responding to questions from journalists about when the bungalow would be ready, he said the work was moving quickly and that he had instructed officials to complete it as soon as possible. He expressed hope that the project would be finished by March next year.
Built in 1967, the Hollong Forest Bungalow became a popular destination because it offered visitors access to the landscape and wildlife of Jaldapara National Park. The traditional wooden structure was destroyed in a major fire at around 9pm on June 18, 2024, causing extensive damage and disappointing the region’s tourism sector.
The original bungalow had eight wooden rooms. The same number of rooms is expected to be retained after reconstruction, according to the Forest Department. The rebuilding plan is being designed around the legal restrictions on direct concrete construction inside a protected forest. Officials are therefore planning a structure that combines wood and concrete using specialised technology.
The design is intended to retain the bungalow’s traditional wooden appearance while improving its safety. Fire-resistant materials are also planned to reduce the risk of a repeat incident. The reconstruction has been allocated Rs 8 crore by the state government.
The Forest Department has said that work on rebuilding the bungalow began during the previous Trinamool Congress government. Following the change in the state government in May, Alipurduar’s Kumargram MLA Manoj Oraon took charge of the department. The forest minister has instructed officials to accelerate the work, according to department sources.
The department’s reconstruction plan was presented to the chief minister by the forest minister. The March deadline was announced after that briefing. The immediate administrative objective is now to complete the work within the stated timeline and reopen the heritage bungalow to tourists in its rebuilt form.
The project combines the restoration of a well-known tourism facility with the constraints of construction inside a protected forest. Its completion will depend on the Forest Department meeting the announced schedule while incorporating the planned fire-resistant materials and the wood-and-concrete construction method.
