Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Matigara-Naxalbari, Anandamay Barman, has urged chief minister Mamata Banerjee to create a separate Siliguri administrative district.

In a letter sent to the chief minister, Mamata Banerjee yesterday, Mr Barman emphasised the long-pending demand and requested the government to carve out Siliguri as a separate district along with the seven districts approved by the Cabinet. He argued that such an administrative reform would significantly benefit the people of Siliguri and its surrounding areas.

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Mr Barman highlighted the logistical challenges residents face in accessing district headquarters in Darjeeling, which is over 100 km away. He noted that difficult terrain and poor road conditions result in travel times exceeding four to five hours, causing unnecessary delays and financial burdens.

He also pointed out that Siliguri is the second-largest urban hub in West Bengal and the largest town in north Bengal, with a population exceeding 25 lakh. Serving as a critical commercial and transit point, the region connects north Bengal with the northeast, Sikkim, Bihar, and the rest of West Bengal. Given its location in the strategically important Chicken Neck corridor, which borders Nepal and Bangladesh, while providing access to Bhutan and Tibet, Siliguri requires a more efficient administrative structure.

According to Mr Barman, creating a new district would enhance governance, service delivery, infrastructure development, and law enforcement. He proposed that the district should include the entire Siliguri sub-division of Darjeeling district, covering around 800 sqkm, along with parts of Rajganj block in Jalpaiguri district, spanning about 200 sqkm. This would include Siliguri Municipal Corporation wards 31 to 44 and four gram panchayats – Dabgram-I, Dabgram-II, Fulbari-I, and Fulbari-II. He noted that residents of these areas must currently travel over 40 km to reach the Jalpaiguri district headquarters for official work. The proposed district would encompass four Assembly constituencies—Siliguri, Matigara-Naxalbari, Phansidewa, and Dabgram-Fulbari—serving a combined population of around 25 lakh.

Mr Barman further asserted that Siliguri already has the necessary infrastructure to function as an independent district. He cited the presence of the Siliguri District Hospital, Siliguri District Primary School Council, Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad, Siliguri Municipal Corporation, and the Siliguri Police Commissionerate. Additionally, the city houses regional headquarters of the BSF, SSB, CRPF, and key Army and security force deployments. He argued that these existing facilities would minimise the need for extensive new infrastructure investments.

Referring to the West Bengal Cabinet’s 2022 approval of seven new districts—Kandi, Berhampore, Ranaghat, Bishnupur, Icchamati, Basirhat, and Sunderbans—Barman urged the government to act on these decisions and include Siliguri in the expansion. He also pointed out that states with smaller populations than West Bengal, such as Odisha (30 districts), Assam (35), Bihar (38), Tamil Nadu (38), Rajasthan (50), and Madhya Pradesh (55), have far more districts than West Bengal’s current 23. Increasing the number of districts, he argued, would improve governance and ensure better delivery of government services.