A tug-of-war has started between the BJP and the Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha (BGPM), an ally of the Trinamool Congress in the hills, over drinking water projects initiated for hill towns under the Amrut 2.0 scheme of the central government.
Anit Thapa, who heads the BGPM, said he would prioritise “development” over “electoral politics” and continue to work in tandem with the Bengal government for holistic development of the hills. Raju Bista, the BJP MP of Darjeeling, has underscored that the Centre approved and allocated funds for the drinking water projects of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong towns, along with Mirik and Siliguri.
For years, the drinking water supply has been a major problem that thousands of people have had to bear every day across the hills.
“We need to create employment for youths and develop the hills’ infrastructure. The GTA was formed jointly by the Centre and the state, and being part of it, I will work with the state government for comprehensive development,” Thapa said, as he laid the foundation stone of the drinking water project for Kurseong
on Saturday.
Located around 45km from Siliguri and known as the “Land of White Orchid,” Kurseong town has 20 municipal wards and around 42,000 people.
The project, with an estimated cost of over ₹200 crore, is targeted for completion within 30 months, with the state government bearing the major share. Water will be drawn from the Balason river through a 14km-long dual pipeline, and three pumping stations — one in Ambootia and two in Singel — will be installed to draw
the water.
A reservoir will be constructed near Deer Park, from where water will be supplied in all municipal wards through a 94km-long network of pipelines supported by 11 reservoirs.
The BGPM, which is in power in the GTA and also controls most panchayats and the hill civic bodies, has long positioned development as its political plank.
“With the (Assembly) elections approaching, BJP leaders will again raise the issues of land and community and call me ‘anti-community’. But I will work with the state government because that ensures employment, roads, and water for the people,” Thapa, who is also the chief executive of the GTA, said.
Bista, however, was quick to give credit to the Centre for the water projects.
“This (Kurseong drinking water) project is part of our plan to bring all households in the Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency under the Amrut scheme, for which the central government has allocated ₹3,658 crore. These projects aim to provide a reliable and sustainable water supply system to the people of Kurseong and the surrounding areas. With this generous assistance, chronic problems related to drinking water and reservoir conservation will be effectively addressed,” he wrote on social media.