Siliguri: The Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) is gearing up to celebrate Christmas and New Year with grand festivities across the city. A range of programmes and cultural events have been scheduled for December 22 and 23.
A preparatory meeting was held at the SMC office in the presence of Mayor Gautam Deb. Officials from the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA), Tourism department, SDICO, the Sub-Divisional Office, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) and members of the Siliguri United Christian Forum attended the discussion, where initial plans for the celebrations were outlined.
Following the meeting, Mayor Deb said: “Like any other festival, Christmas will also be celebrated in the city. The entire city will be decorated with lights. Stalls from different sectors will be set up on roads and near churches. The decorations will remain in place until January 1.”
In previous years, the State Tourism department and SMC jointly decorated selected areas of the city, with the main lighting concentrated around Mahatma Gandhi More. This year, however, the festive stretch will be significantly expanded, covering the entire route from Darjeeling More to New Jalpaiguri. Two islands that were in a deteriorated condition have already been renovated by SMC to serve as key decoration points. Installations such as Christmas trees, Santa Claus figures and thematic displays will be added to enhance the festive atmosphere.
Stalls from SMC, the Tourism department and the Information & Cultural Affairs (I&CA) department will be set up as part of the celebration. A stage will also be erected at Mahatma Gandhi More. A colourful procession will mark the beginning of the festivities on December 22, followed by cultural performances over the two days. The final layout for stall locations is expected to be decided soon.
To ensure public safety during the celebrations, CCTV cameras will be installed at key points, additional police deployment will be arranged. Partial restrictions on traffic movement are also likely to be enforced to facilitate crowd management.