Siliguri: In a significant boost to urban environmental restoration, Siliguri has been included in the Government of India’s Urban River Management Plan (URMP) with the objective of rejuvenating the city’s rivers. Following an understanding between the West Bengal government and the Union government, Siliguri has been formally added to the URMP list.
Under the plan, major rivers flowing through the city, including the Mahananda, Fuleswari, Jorapani and Sahu, will undergo systematic rejuvenation and cleaning. As part of the broader initiative to improve river health and urban sanitation, the Sewage Treatment Plant (STP)-III and the Fecal Sludge Management Plant (FSTP) are expected to be inaugurated by February 2026.
KMDA is executing the STP projects in the city. Three sewage treatment plants are planned, with construction of STP-III at Fulbari already completed. Work on STP-II has been expedited, while the location for another STP has been finalised. The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs. 361 crore, with tenders expected to be floated by March.
Mayor Gautam Deb announced the developments after holding two high-level meetings with officials from the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs (UDMA) Department, and other concerned agencies. Chief Engineer of KMDA Chandrachur Sarkar and Senior Special Secretary, KMDA, were present during the meetings. Speaking after the discussions, Mayor Deb said: “It is a major achievement that Siliguri has been included in the Urban River Management Plan. This initiative will help rejuvenate our rivers and, with the completion of the STP projects, ensure that they remain clean in the future. We are hopeful that the STP-III will be inaugurated within February.” He added that the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) will be responsible for operating and maintaining the STPs for the next 15 years.
To oversee and expedite the implementation of the URMP, the state government has constituted a dedicated committee.
The committee will include the SMC Commissioner, Executive Engineer of SMC, city planner from the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA), and engineers from the Irrigation, Public Health Engineering (PHE), Public Works Department (PWD), and Land departments, Sub-Divisional Officers (SDOs) of Siliguri and Jalpaiguri.