Waterlogging during monsoon months, shrinking wetlands and growing traffic congestion emerged as major concerns at a citizens’ convention organised by the Trinamool-run Jalpaiguri municipality at the Sarojendra Deb Raikat Sanskritik Kala Kendra in Jalpaiguri on Thursday.
Residents from all 25 wards participated, sharing grievances and offering suggestions for the city’s development for the next 25 years.
The event was organised to gather public opinion on a long-term urban development plan, in the presence of experts from IIT Kharagpur.
A team from IIT Kharagpur had conducted a two-day preliminary survey of the city before the meeting to identify the major gaps. Professors Haimanti Bandyopadhyay and Gaurav Das presented an outline of the 25-year development vision for Jalpaiguri.
Speakers underscored the growing pressure on Jalpaiguri’s civic infrastructure and the urgent need for sustainable planning.
Saikat Chatterjee, the civic chairman, proposed upgrading the Jalpaiguri municipality into a municipal corporation. He said that with the establishment of the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court and the medical college, the city’s area and importance have expanded.
“We will send a proposal to the state government about including some adjoining gram panchayat areas within the municipality and upgrading it into a corporation,” he said.
Environmental concerns featured prominently.
Biswajit Chowdhury, an environmentalist and a resident of ward 22, cautioned that the city’s wetlands were being filled up.
“The filling up of wetlands is having a serious impact on the environment. We have repeatedly urged the municipality to protect these water bodies, but have not seen effective results. Only the municipality can stop this,” he said, while urging that steps be taken to curb pollution in the Karala river that flows through the town.
Residents also flagged the frequent waterlogging. Santosh Pandey, a resident of ward 16, said areas like Mahamayapara face severe water accumulation during the rains every year.
“We want a comprehensive and permanent drainage master plan in the 25-year development blueprint to address the issue,” he said. He also proposed an alternative road from Railway Gumti-III through Railway Ghumti-IV to Mohitnagar to ease traffic congestion.
Traffic management, particularly the regulation of e-rickshaw services, was repeatedly highlighted. Arup Dey, a teacher, and Koel Gangopadhyay, a retired professor, emphasised that controlling the unregulated movement of such vehicles and creating designated parking zones were essential to reduce congestion.
Addressing traffic snarls in the Boubazar area, Partha Kar, a resident, suggested that buses heading towards Haldibari should operate strictly from the designated Bowbazar bus stand.
Some other residents proposed widening several key roads — from Paharpur More to Rajbari, Goshala More to BDO Office More and from Assam More through Maskalaibari, Netajipara and Beguntari to Kadamtala — along with the construction of footpaths on both sides.
“We will consider the issues raised by the residents with due importance and will explore options to incorporate them into the development plan,” the civic chairman, said.