Alipurduar, Oct. 22 -- The state government's flagship social initiative, "Amader Para, Amader Samadhan", has formally taken off across Alipurduar district, with work commencing on 180 development projects on Tuesday.
According to the district administration, the initiative aims to empower residents to identify and prioritise local development needs at the booth level. So far, 506 camps have been held across 1,300 polling booths in Alipurduar district, drawing an enthusiastic response from the public. Residents themselves selected small-scale projects-each worth up to Rs 10 lakh-to address their area's specific issues.
The district administration has finalised a total of 20,837 projects under the scheme, spanning six blocks and two municipalities. These include the construction of small culverts, minor road repairs, drain renovations, streetlight and solar lamp installations and repair of government buildings-focusing primarily on grassroots development and civic improvement.
Tender processes for nearly 3,000 projects have already been completed, while tenders for the remaining 18,000 are being finalised in a phased manner. All projects are expected to be completed by December, officials said.
Launching the projects in Kumargram Block, District Magistrate R Vimala stated: "The work has commenced from Kumargram Block based on priority. From tendering to issuing work orders, the process will take about 10 days and each project should be completed within 10 to 15 days once started. We are ensuring close supervision so that every work is executed with utmost care."
Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Chik Baraik described the initiative as "the dream project of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee" and a potential model for other states.
"Perhaps in the future, others will emulate this program because Bengal shows the way. These projects will directly address local demands such as lighting, drainage and small infrastructure improvements," he added.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.