The state government has initiated the process to upgrade Jaigaon, the bustling border town on the India-Bhutan border in Alipurduar district, to a municipality after years of public demand.
Bishal Lama, the minister of state for home and hill affairs, said on Friday that the proposed municipality will comprise the Jaigaon-I and II panchayats and a portion of Dalshingpara panchayat of the Kalchini block.
“The proposed municipality will have nearly 80,000 voters and a population
of more than two lakh. The administration has already begun the necessary formalities and we expect civic elections to be held by December this year. The newly elected municipal board will then take charge,” Lama, who is also the BJP MLA of Kalchini Assembly constituency which includes Jaigaon, said.
Residents have been campaigning for municipal status since 2013.
Former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, during a visit to Jaigaon in 2016, had announced that the town would be upgraded to a municipality soon. The proposal remained pending for nearly a decade.
Jaigaon — about 60km from Alipurduar town, the district headquarters — is one of Bengal’s busiest international border areas and is a commercial gateway to Bhutan, with Phuentsholing on the other side.
It currently falls under the jurisdiction of Jaigaon-I & II and parts of Dalshingpara panchayat.
Residents have long complained about the absence of adequate healthcare facilities, with the nearest government health centre nearly 35km away. The town lacks a proper waste disposal system, drainage infrastructure and well-maintained roads. The municipal status is expected to pave the way for improved infrastructure and efficient civic services.
Jayant Mundra, vice-president of the Jaigaon Merchants’ Association, said: “We are delighted that Jaigaon is finally going to become a municipality. We are grateful to the state government, especially the local MLA, for taking this initiative. Across the border, Phuentsholing is exceptionally clean and well-maintained. Our dream is to develop Jaigaon into an equally modern and well-planned town, if not an even better one.”