English Bazar civic body to take steps for expansion of municipal area

MALDA: After a nod from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the English Bazar Municipality (EBM) is going to take steps for the expansion of the municipal area.

For this the chairman of the civic body will talk to the district magistrate shortly. The population density of the EBM area is almost 15000 per square kilometre which is supposed to be only 1000.

During the administrative meeting at the Malda College Auditorium on May 4 chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the matter was raised by the Chairman.

The Chief Minister at once agreed to the proposal of incorporating additional areas under the English Bazar Municipality (EBM,) after hearing the population stats.

The EBM has initially chalked out to include some of the panchayat areas into municipal periphery subject to the discussion with the district magistrate.

Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury, Chairman of EBM, said: “The population of EBM is increasing day by day. So, the expansion of the area has become very necessary. Housing complexes and multistoried buildings can be constructed in the empty land of the included areas. If people live in these places the pressure of population will decrease. The chief minister understood this and at once agreed to my proposal. A meeting with the district magistrate on the matter will be done very shortly.”

EBM currently has 29 wards. Some adjacent areas like Kazigram, Sahapur, Jadupur 1 and 2 are being considered for inclusion in the municipality area.

In this way, a total of 10 to 15 wards may increase. The final proposal will be prepared after the meeting with the district administration.

Almost 3 lakh people live in EBM. The floating population is another 40 thousand people from the rural parts.

The opposition leader of the English Bazar Municipality has also expressed his consent on the matter.