The Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) has kicked off preparations for the upcoming Durga Puja celebrations with the sanctioning of funds for preparations of immersion ghats and much-needed road repair. A puja preparatory meeting will be held at the SMC on 7 August. The civic body has approved Rs 6,18,005 for the repair of potholes and bituminous roads surrounding big budget pujas in the town, which are among the top crowd pullers under borough-II, Rs 10,76,428 for repairing potholes in wards- 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 45 and 46 under borough-I, Rs 2,76,180 for road repairs in different wards under borough-III and Rs 15,32,891 for the same in different wards under boroughIV. Meanwhile, the civic body has also approved funds for the immersion ghat preparations.

Lal Mohan Mallik ghat and Parbati ghat are the two main ghats in the town where most of the immersion takes place. For pandal arrangement at the Lal Mohan Mallik ghat, the estimated budget is Rs 2,75,600, while for sound arrangements at the ghat the estimated cost is Rs 51,300, for pandal arrangement at the Parbati Ghat Rs 75,300 has been estimated and Rs 19,300 for sound arrangements there. “We are making all necessary preparations for Durga Puja. A maximum number of roads will be repaired thoroughly before the puja begins,” said Siliguri Mayor Gautam Deb. Dengue awareness during Durga Puja The Siliguri Municipal Corporation has said it will spread awareness messages during Durga Puja to prevent vectorborne diseases like dengue.

The civic body has recorded 35 dengue cases from January till 28 July. “Some dengue cases have been detected. There is no room for complacency. We will hold an extensive public awareness campaign on dengue. The corporation will spread information about the disease over loudspeakers and by distributing leaflets among Durga Puja visitors. It will highlight the dangers of stagnant water, and importance of cleanliness. Siliguri has been a dengue endemic zone, therefore, we will take all the necessary steps to check the disease,” said Siliguri Mayor Gautam Deb. Mr Deb said an awareness campaign for people to follow the Covid protocol will be also be simultaneously carried out.