Siliguri, Sept. 1 -- In view of the steadily increasing population in Siliguri, the West Bengal government has decided to increase the number of wards under the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) from 47 to 63. The state Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department has issued an official notification regarding the decision.

The SMC has also issued a notification detailing the proposed delimitation of the existing wards and the formation of the new wards.

According to the notification, wards with relatively higher populations will be divided into two and three wards to ease administrative pressure and ensure better civic services.

As per the SMC notification, wards 1, 4, 5 and 24, which fall under Darjeeling district, will each be divided into two parts, while Ward 46 will be divided into three parts. Meanwhile, wards 31, 33, 34, 37, 41, 42, 43, 44, which fall under Jalpaiguri district, will each be divided into two parts and ward number 40 will be divided into three.

The civic body believes that the delimitation will reduce the population burden on individual wards and enable councillors to provide better and more efficient civic services to residents.

Welcoming the decision, Dabgram-Fulbari MLA Shikha Chatterjee said: "Several wards under the Dabgram-Fulbari area had very high populations, which was becoming difficult for a single councillor to manage. We had raised this issue during a recent meeting with the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister.

I had also raised the demand several times during the previous government's tenure, but they did not pay attention to it. I am extremely happy that the decision has finally been taken," she said.

Former Leader of the Opposition of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, Amit Jain, also welcomed the move. "The discussion to divide these wards and increase their number had taken place during the previous government's tenure, but they could not implement it. Our government has finally made it happen," Jain said.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.