SMC awards work orders for 30 projects across four wards

Siliguri: As part of the state government’s flagship initiative ‘Amader Para, Amader Samadhan’, a total of 30 development projects have been sanctioned across four wards of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC). On Monday, the official work orders for these 30 projects were formally handed over by Mayor Gautam Deb.

Mayor Deb said that the municipal corporation has received 130 projects in the SMC area that fall in the Darjeeling district, many of which have already begun. The authorities have set a target to complete all these projects before the Assembly elections. “If required, additional manpower will be deployed to complete the projects at the earliest,” said Deb.

The Mayor added: “The state government is committed to resolving people’s problems. Through Amader Para, Amader Samadhan, residents themselves are telling us about their issues and guiding the work priorities. Undertaking so many projects simultaneously is a major challenge, but we aim to complete them as quickly as possible. If necessary, extra engineers and staff will be engaged for monitoring.”

The statewide programme aims to listen directly to citizens and address local concerns promptly. Residents of each locality submit their problems, based on which officials prepare project lists and initiate work.

The 30 projects across Wards 33, 34, 25, and 44 include road repairs, drainage upgrades, installation of CCTV cameras, beautification initiatives and improved street lighting. To accelerate progress, the corporation is considering hiring an additional six engineers on a six-month contract.

The Mayor also stated that the flyover construction at Burdwan Road is expected to be completed by January, although the work has been delayed due to non-cooperation from the Railway authorities.

“Our target is to transform Siliguri’s landscape in the next few years. Some lapses by agencies have been noticed. I will discuss these with higher authorities. Ensuring timely service delivery to citizens remains our top priority,” Mayor Deb added.