The state government is planning to implement a comprehensive drinking water project for Siliguri through the Centre’s Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban).
According to the chairperson of the board of administrators (BoA) at the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC), Gautam Deb, they had detailed discussions on the Rs 470-crore mega drinking water project for Siliguri in Kolkata.
“The state government is willing to bring the project through the Jal Jeevan Mission (Urban). But the Centre is yet to prepare the modalities for water supply in the urban areas. We came to know that those will be finalised within two months and the state government will give priority to Siliguri once that happens,” Mr Deb said here today.
The mission comes under the department of drinking water and sanitation, the ministry of Jal Shakti. Mr Deb had been to Kolkata very recently where he held discussions with the municipal affairs and urban development minister, Chandrima Bhattacharya, and transport minister Firhad Hakim over a range of issues.
The long-pending project has faced inordinate delay for the past several years. The Trinamul Congress-led state government had in 2011 decided to introduce the project for Siliguri. With the rising population in Siliguri, the existing drinking water infrastructure has been inadequate to meet the demand. The estimated project cost was Rs 319 in 2014. The present BoA has sent a detailed project report for Rs 470 crore to the state government.
A section of SMC officials said they were hopeful that once implemented, the project will help supply water even to the population of the extended Siliguri for the next 25 years and maintain an adequate stock of water. Meanwhile, Mr Deb said the transport department had given its nod to shift the local bus stand on Kutchery Road to the North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) plot at Tinbatti More.
The BoA is taking up plans to reduce the traffic congestion, a long-pending problem, in the town. “The state transport department has given the approval to shift the bus stand to Tinbatti More. We held a discussion with state transport minister Firhad Hakim. The traffic load will be reduced to a large extent following the shifting of the stand from the heart of the town,” Mr Deb said.
He today chaired a meeting of the infrastructure development committee, which was set up in June to monitor the ongoing project work in the civic body area. Administrative officers will hold a meeting in Siliguri, he said. Mr Deb said shifting of parking lots for buses, including those bound for Kolkata, Bihar and Northeast will ease the burden further.
The administration plans to shift the parking area (at Siliguri Junction) to Paribahan Nagar in Matigara, while buses running between Siliguri and Jalpaiguri will depart from the PC Mittal Bus Terminus.
He further said that around 12 parks under the civic body area will undergo thorough renovation and beautification.