Siliguri Municipal Corporation has sanctioned ₹55 crore to repair potholes and severely damaged road stretches across all 47 wards ahead of Durga Puja and other upcoming festivals, with civic administrator R. Vimala saying about 70 per cent of the work has been completed.
Vimala inspected road maintenance work in several parts of Siliguri on Friday, including Subhashpally, Rathkhola, Rabindranagar, Hakimpara and Deshbandhupara. Officials and engineers from the civic body’s engineering department accompanied her during the inspection.
The funding has been allocated primarily for temporary patchwork and repairs on roads affected by potholes and damaged surfaces, according to a source in the Siliguri Municipal Corporation. The repairs are being accelerated because major roads are expected to carry increased pedestrian and vehicular traffic during the festival period.
“Keeping in view the upcoming Durga Puja and other festivals, the fund has been allocated primarily for temporary patchwork and repairs of damaged roads,” the source said.
The condition of several roads within the municipal area has drawn criticism from opposition parties, which have held protests over what they described as delays in addressing potholes and deteriorated stretches. The latest inspection comes against that backdrop, as the civic administration seeks to make key routes accessible before the festive season begins.
Civic officials attributed the deterioration of several roads to the laying of underground cables by the state power department during the tenure of the previous Trinamool Congress-run civic board. The municipal corporation said it would coordinate with the power department on future underground cable work to reduce the risk of roads being damaged again after repairs.
“We will coordinate with the state power department regarding laying underground cables. We expect the entire repair to be completed before Mahalaya,” Vimala said.
Vimala became administrator of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation after the state urban development and municipal affairs department dissolved the Trinamool Congress-run civic board in June, following the resignation of Gautam Deb as mayor. The civic body is currently operating under the administrator-led arrangement.
The road programme covers all 47 municipal wards, although the civic body has not provided a ward-wise breakdown of the sanctioned amount or a list of the roads included in the repair package. The administration has said repairs will be intensified in the coming days, with priority given to roads required to remain accessible during the festival season.
The next stated milestone is the completion of the repair work before Mahalaya, after which the civic administration’s coordination with the state power department will determine how newly repaired roads are protected during further underground utility work.
