Siliguri: In a bid to reduce traffic congestion in Siliguri, the state government has approved the construction of a new bus terminal at Paribahan Nagar in Matigara. The project is to be executed by the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA). Alongside, the infrastructure of the existing truck terminal in the area, will also be upgraded.
SJDA Chairman Dilip Dugar shared the update after a meeting with Mayor Gautam Deb at the Public Works Department (PWD) Inspection bungalow in Siliguri on Wednesday. “The state government has approved it and we will start work soon,” Dugar said. Currently, long-distance buses are parked along Hill Cart Road in the city’s junction area, creating severe traffic bottlenecks. The new terminal will shift these buses out of the city, easing road congestion. The state government has allocated Rs 2.04 crore for the project, which will accommodate 70 buses at a time. The terminal will feature modern facilities, including bathrooms, a cafeteria, lighting and sheds for buses. Additionally, Rs 45 lakh has been earmarked to improve the truck terminal infrastructure in Paribahan Nagar, enabling parking for up to 40 trucks at once.
“The Mayor had stressed in our first meeting that traffic congestion needed urgent attention. Following that, we proposed this terminal to the state government, which has now been approved. Alongside, work on the fourth and fifth Mahananda bridges will also be taken up,” Dugar added.
Mayor Gautam Deb confirmed that once the Paribahan Nagar terminal becomes operational, long-distance buses will no longer be allowed to enter the city. Plans are also underway to construct another terminal on 9 acres of land near Himul for buses arriving from other states. “We have also built a terminal in Tinbatti, but local buses have been reluctant to use it,” Deb noted. “After Paribahan Nagar is opened, they will also be moved there. If needed, city buses will connect the city to Tinbatti. SJDA has also been asked to repair roads leading to the fourth and fifth Mahananda bridges.”
Apart from this, the temporary vendors who run businesses inside the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital premises will be relocated, for which a talk is ongoing to find a location and arrangements for kiosks for the vendors.