Kolkata: The Bengal Cabinet on Monday officially allotted land for the construction of the Mahakal Temple at Matigara, North Bengal. The decision was announced by state Finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya on Monday after the Cabinet meeting at Nabanna.
“Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had earlier announced that a Mahakal Temple would be constructed at Matigara in North Bengal. Today (Monday), the Cabinet unanimously approved that proposal.
A total of 25.15 acres of land, previously under leasehold of Lakshmi Township & Holdings Ltd., will be taken over by the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA). Out of this, 17.41 acres of vacant and unutilized land will be handed over to the Tourism Department through inter-departmental transfer,”
said Bhattacharya.
She added that this land is located in Ujanu Mouza (JL No. 86) and Gourcharan Mouza (JL No. 81) under the Matigara Police Station in Darjeeling district. Once transferred to the Tourism Department, the land will be used to construct the Mahakal Temple and a Cultural Centre.
The Cabinet has also approved another major initiative for the region—a brand new Convention Centre. Presently, the state has two major convention centres: one in New Town, Kolkata, and another in Digha. The proposed third centre will be built at Dabgram Mouza in Darjeeling district.
“A new Convention Centre will be built on 10 acres of land in Dabgram Mouza. The site is located in the ‘Teesta Township’ area, adjacent to Asian Highway II. North Bengal has long needed a large international-standard convention facility. The government has finally moved toward implementing that plan,”
Bhattacharya said.
The state had earlier completed the construction of the Jagannath Temple in Digha, which has seen enormous public footfall since its inauguration six months ago. Following that, the Chief Minister announced the Durga Angan project from the July 21 rally, and the cabinet approved its land allotment just a few days ago.