The Kalimpong municipality on Monday laid the foundation stone of a ₹196.97 crore drinking water project for the hill town that opened a floodgate of political one-upmanship.
Under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT 2.0) of the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs, a drinking water project has been sanctioned.
The foundation stone of the project was laid in Kalimpong on Monday.
Anit Thapa, the chief executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), was present at the foundation-laying. Thapa said he was proud of the chairman of the board of administrators of the Kalimpong municipality, Rabi Pradhan.
“It was proved today that I was right in choosing Rabi Pradhan as the leader of the municipality,” Thapa said.
He said under the project, water would be pumped from the Bhalu Khola, a tributary of the Teesta, and the same would be distributed in 23 municipal wards.
Thapa said the drinking water project included a 50 per cent share from the Centre, 45 per cent contribution from the state government and 5 per cent contribution from the municipality. The project is to be completed within 30 months, said Thapa.
Raju Bista, Darjeeling BJP MP, said the Centre had consistently supported the development needs of north Bengal.
Bista, however, added that it was important to reflect that the three hill municipalities of Kalimpong, Kurseong and Mirik were not being “governed democratically”.
“It is most unfortunate that for over three years now, these three municipalities have been run by unelected, state-nominated individuals,” said Bista.
Elections to these hill civic bodies have not been held despite their elected tenure having expired.
“This practice goes against the democratic ethos of our nation and stands in clear violation of constitutional principle,” said Bista.
The BJP leader, in a written statement, added: “I assure the people, when BJP forms government in Bengal, we will ensure timely elections to all municipalities and panchayats across our region.”
In Darjeeling, a ₹200 crore water project under AMRUT has not yet seen the light of day despite its completion period having expired.
“Neither Bista nor Thapa is talking about this project, which was sanctioned in 2016 and is yet to be fully completed. Bista did raise some issues last year, but ultimately, the fact is that the Darjeeling project has not been completed for almost 10 years,” said an observer.