Darjeeling, Sept. 21 -- "Development in Darjeeling had gone retrograde under the past Governments. We will turn this around in the next five years and make Darjeeling the number one hill station as it was in the yesteryears," stated West Bengal PWD and PHE minister Ajay Kumar Poddar, chairing a review meeting in Darjeeling on Monday.
The progress of major road construction, drinking water and tourism infrastructure projects in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts came under this review meeting of the Public Works Department (PWD) and Public Health Engineering Department (PHE).
A major focus of the PHE review was the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission, aimed at providing functional tap drinking water connections to rural households. The minister stressed the need to complete all sanctioned projects within stipulated timelines and accord priority to incomplete works.
The meeting also emphasised clear implementation responsibility, coordination and accountability. The Minister stated that he has instructed the police to auction all the seized vehicles that are parked on the roadsides in order to ensure smooth traffic.
The PWD review covered ongoing, completed and proposed road projects in both districts. Discussions included a 18km Darjeeling Circular Road and a proposal for a 200km long alternate highway from Siliguri to Darjeeling and Damdim as part of the Darjeeling-Sundarban highway announced in the West Bengal Budget 2026-27. Tender for the circular road has already been floated and it will be operational at the earliest.
Several tourism and mobility-related proposals were also discussed, including a proposed ropeway connecting Kurseong and Darjeeling and the development of Jamuney as a tourism hub.
"Plans for additional parking facilities at strategic locations were also discussed. New parking facilities are proposed at Ghoom, Lebong, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Mirik, while existing parking facilities in Darjeeling are proposed to be expanded," stated Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, who was also present in the meeting.
"A new bridge will come up at Bijanbari. The MInister has given a nod to the DPR. New roads will be constructed from Dowhill to Dilaram; Jamuney to Pulbazar. Talks are on with the concerned authorities so that the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) tracks and the National Highway 110 from Siliguri to Darjeeling in order to avoid traffic jams owing to DHR joyrides" stated Bista.
The review meeting also sought to identify bottlenecks and set priorities for timely implementation of key infrastructure and drinking water projects in the two districts.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.