Kolkata: The owner of the 52-year-old Rangana Theatre, which has been shut for nearly 23 years, reached out to CM Suvendu Adhikari to seek his help to get its possession back. The owner, Hirak Mukhopadhyay, alleged that a cosmetic factory that he had opened to provide jobs to the staff at the theatre was forcibly locked three years back.“On May 13, 2023, some people locked the factory and took possession of the land. I lodged a complaint with Burtolla Police Station, but no action was taken,” Mukhopadhyay alleged.Constructed in 1974, Rangana Theatre bears the relics of the golden era of Bengali drama. Situated near Hatibagan area, the venue hosted theatre groups like Nandikar. The theatre provided a professional platform to hundreds of theatre groups.The theatre remained shut for nearly 23 years after closing in 2003. Mukhopadhyay had subsequently set up the factory on the adjoining plot to provide employment to former theatre workers. He also alleged that one Aditya Adhya arrived with a key and claimed ownership of the property. Adhya’s associates allegedly assaulted him. Although Mukhopadhyay later approached the court and obtained a stay order, he alleged that the factory’s equipment was subsequently removed in trucks. He suspected that a hostile and forcible takeover was carried out by some developers, with Adhya being used as a front.Mukhopadhyay had also approached Trinamool MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay and former MLA Atin Ghosh. But nothing happened. “I hope action will finally be taken and that I will get back the factory land,” he said.A separate complaint over an alleged housing fraud was lodged by Tanushree Das, a resident of Lake Town. She claimed to have paid Rs 5 lakh to a promoter in 2017 for a flat but neither received the apartment nor got her money back. An 86-year-old resident of Sinthi, Biswanath Bhattacharya, also alleged that he had been cheated by a promoter. Another complainant, Rathinchandra Roy of Shyamnagar, alleged that he paid Rs 1.1 crore to a promoter for two shops but was not given possession of either.
