Siliguri, Jan.1: The mayor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation, Bikash Ghosh, has asked the councillors to submit the draft development plan (DDP) with their suggestions by January 15, or the civic body will not be able to get the money from the Bengal government in the next financial year.

The DDP contains several development projects like slum infrastructure improvement, betterment of road network, solid waste management and distribution of drinking water supply besides land use development plan in the civic areas.

SMC had distributed the DDP to the councillors in November and asked them to return the plan with their suggestions within a week. A few councillors from the ruling Left Front side have submitted them. But those from the Opposition Trinamul and the Congress have sought more time. “Now, the DDP should reach us by the 15th of this month,” Ghosh said.

“During the 11th Five Year Plan, SMC wants to develop the civic area so that it can tackle the unprecedented growth of the town in recent years,” the mayor said.

Krishna Pal, the Opposition leader of SMC, said they have started collecting inputs so that they could submit the DDP in time. “But the mayor should consider that we don’t have manpower like the ruling side,” he added.