Balurghat, Sept. 2 -- Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday unveiled a twin push for Balurghat's healthcare and connectivity, announcing an immediate Rs 100-crore allocation to kick-start the upgradation of Balurghat District Hospital into a medical college and hospital. In another major announcement, he said a 19-seater commercial air service from Balurghat airport would take off in 2027.
Adhikari arrived in Balurghat by road from Purnea at around 3 pm after bad weather prevented him from flying directly. The Chief Minister drove a road roller and destroyed nearly two lakh bottles of seized banned cough syrup, sending home the message that drug trafficking would not be tolerated.
Highlighting coordination between the police and BSF along the Bangladesh border, he said: "Earlier, there was no coordination between the BSF and police in South Dinajpur because the BSF was treated as an enemy. In these four months, the BSF and police have seized these narcotic substances through joint operations and coordination."
The Chief Minister attended an administrative review meeting at the Baluchhaya auditorium, where the district's development, welfare schemes and infrastructure projects were reviewed.
Adhikari visited Balurghat District Hospital. "A medical college will be established at Balurghat at a cost of around Rs 344 crore. I am immediately allocating Rs 100 crore from the state government's treasury so that the initial work can begin," he said.
"We have also submitted the project to the Central government. The remaining amount will be arranged from the Centre. If we do not receive the money from the Centre, the state government will provide the remaining amount from its own treasury and complete the medical college," Adhikari said.
Accompanied by Sukanta Majumdar and senior officials, the Chief Minister inspected the Balurghat airport. He said the airport had been included under the UDAN scheme and that efforts were underway to start commercial operations. "We have to arrange around 150 acres of land for the airport. The process of completing the required infrastructure has to be expedited so that 19-seater air services can start from Balurghat in 2027," he said.
On the deadline, he said: "Before the 2029 Lok Sabha election, the medical college and the airport should be fully completed and operational. Instructions have been given accordingly."
Adhikari also reiterated his government's policy, stating: "No corruption or administrative negligence will be tolerated. We are committed to ensuring that the benefits of every government project reach every eligible citizen within the stipulated time."
Adhikari, on Wednesday, met BJP workers and local residents at several places in North Dinajpur district while travelling by road to Balurghat. During his journey, he stopped at Dalkhola, Karandighi, Raiganj, Hemtabad and Kaliyaganj. Huge crowds had gathered along the route to catch a glimpse of the CM and welcome him.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.