Kolkata: The Bengal government has begun preparing a detailed land-use plan for Gazaldoba to guide the future of one of North Bengal’s most promising tourism landscapes.
State government sources confirmed that the Gazaldoba Development Authority is seeking assistance from expert firms to map existing land use, survey local conditions and draft a long-term development control plan across 22 mouzas covering a little over 60 sq km.
Officials said the initiative marks the first structured planning exercise for the area, which has rapidly grown in popularity among birdwatchers, tea-tourism operators and weekend travellers. Gazaldoba’s setting—at the confluence of the Teesta River, forest tracts and tea gardens—offers both tourism potential and ecological sensitivity, making a comprehensive plan necessary before construction activity intensifies.
The upcoming plan will be based on digitised cadastral maps, plot-level land-use records, socio-economic surveys and assessments of natural features such as wetlands, flood-prone pockets and elephant movement zones. The authority has also asked planners to keep in mind Gazaldoba’s rising profile as a birding destination. The mouza schedule lists designated pakhibitan areas, including around 90 acres in the Gazaldoba mouza that attract migratory birds during winter.
Another notable detail in the land schedule is the varying land character across neighbouring mouzas. In Saogaon, for instance, the document notes about 2,479 acres, which include a tract identified for an Army composite airbase. Officials said the forthcoming planning exercise will help determine how such sensitive locations can be factored into broader tourism and community development goals.
Gazaldoba has seen steady footfall growth after the state promoted it as an alternative to overcrowded hill destinations. Improved roads, homestay expansion and proposed recreational zones around the reservoir have already drawn visitors in larger numbers.
Officials said a formal land-use plan is the logical next step to prevent unregulated construction, strengthen infrastructure planning and ensure that development does not undermine ecological and community interests.
Once completed and notified, the land-use and development control plan will serve as the framework for all future construction and economic activity in Gazaldoba, shaping how this emerging tourism hub evolves in the years ahead.