In a move following former urban development minister and CPM leader Asok Bhattacharya’s efforts, BJP MLA Anandamay Barman of Matigara-Naxalbari has initiated a proposal to establish a new municipality in the Shibmandir area.

This would cover two gram panchayats, encompassing key installations like North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, and the University of North Bengal.

In a formal letter addressed to urban development minister Firhad Hakim, MLA Barman urged the state government to set up two new municipalities within his constituency.

According to him, rapid urban development in the Shibmandir area, and the adjoining Bagdogra region, necessitates the establishment of urban civic bodies. Barman argued that the existing gram panchayats lack the infrastructure to provide adequate services to these peri-urban zones.

The concept of establishing a municipality in Shibmandir is not new. Asok Bhattacharya, during his tenure as urban development minister, had almost finalised plans for a municipality in Atharokhai (known locally as Shibmandir). However, the proposal was stalled due to the lack of approval from the Governor before 2011.

During the Left Front’s election campaign, there was a push to expand the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) to include Bagdogra, but it never came to fruition.

Since the Trinamul Congress came to power, local demand for an urban body has increased. Residents argue that the gram panchayats are ill-equipped to handle the rapid growth of areas like Matigara, which houses key infrastructure such as the City Centre Mall, a university, and a medical college.

Sources indicate that the state government is considering extending the boundaries of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation to include vital installations such as Uttarkanya and North Bengal Medical College. Mayor Goutam Deb confirmed that a survey is currently underway to assess the feasibility of the expansion.

In response to the growing demand, MLA Anandamay Barman has proposed the creation of two separate municipalities, one for Shibmandir and another for Bagdogra. The Bagdogra municipality would cover the Naxalbari block, including Upper Bagdogra, Lower Bagdogra, and Gossainpur Gram Panchayats, an area spanning approximately 50 square kilometres with a population of around 3,00,000. The Shibmandir municipality would encompass Matigara-I, Matigara-II, Atharokhai, and parts of Champasari gram panchayats, covering roughly 100 square kilometres with a population of nearly 5,00,000.

In his letter to the urban development minister, Barman emphasised that rapid urbanisation has rendered the panchayats incapable of extending essential civic amenities to these areas. Key infrastructure, including Bagdogra Airport, North Bengal University, and North Bengal Medical College, as well as shopping malls, multiplexes, and residential complexes, are located in these regions. Barman highlighted the importance of creating municipalities to manage these growing urban needs, which include the development of roads and infrastructure linked to the national highway (NH-31) and Asian highway (AH-2), as well as railway connectivity.

Barman also pointed out that while Maynaguri Municipality was constituted in 2011, the Shibmandir proposal has seen no progress. He had raised the issue in the state Assembly last year but was informed that no proposal had been received by the urban development department.

As an alternative, Barman suggested the possibility of merging these areas with the Greater Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC), allowing residents to benefit from municipal services within the jurisdiction of Siliguri Metropolitan Police.