Siliguri BJP MLA Shankar Ghosh met north Bengal development minister Udayan Guha on Monday and sought his intervention to resolve traffic congestion and improve civic infrastructure in the city.
Ghosh, who met the minister at Uttarkanya, the branch secretariat in Siliguri, said: “Traffic congestion in the city is one of the major issues. On all major thoroughfares, vehicles slow down because of congestion during most of the daytime.”
“One of the major reasons for the congestion is a lack of adequate parking spaces. I have requested the minister to take initiatives and build multi-level parking spaces in Siliguri,” he added.
Siliguri, a city with an annual vehicular growth rate of 280 per cent, has hardly any large parking lots. Thousands of vehicles are parked beside the roads, which eventually narrows the space for the movement of vehicles.
The MLA pointed out that the central government was constructing an elevated corridor along NH10 in the north of Siliguri, along with some flyovers and bridges.
“We believe there should be proper parking spaces when we are having such road infrastructure in the city. Unfortunately, the civic body here has not done anything to address the issue. The number of vehicles is increasing every day, but there is no space to park the vehicles,” he added.
The MLA requested Guha to take steps to improve civic infrastructure in some wards of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation. They included a sewerage system, roads, culverts, embankments and community toilets.
“I have also requested him to improve the sewage system at the Siliguri Regulated Market,” he added.
Located in the Champasari area of Siliguri, the regulated market is the largest wholesale market of fish, fruits, and vegetables in north Bengal. For years, traders and others associated with the market have been demanding a proper sewerage and waste
disposal system.