The Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) has decided to build a new bus terminus at Paribahan Nagar in Matigara on the northwest outskirts of the city in association with the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC).
The existing truck terminal at Paribahan Nagar will also be upgraded as part of the project aimed at easing vehicular traffic movement in and around Siliguri.
Dilip Dugar, the chairperson of the SJDA, said on Wednesday that based on a discussion with Siliguri mayor Gautam Deb, a proposal has been sent to the state urban development and municipal affairs department to set up a bus terminus at the site for better traffic management in the city.
“The state government has recently approved the project and a sum of ₹2.4 crore sanctioned by the state transport department for the new bus terminal. The proposed terminus will have separate ticket counters, passenger sheds with sitting arrangements, and a cafeteria. It will have the space to park at least 70 buses at a time,” said Dugar.
He said that the existing truck terminal at Matigara would be upgraded by SJDA by spending ₹45 lakh.
“The truck terminal will also get a facelift with accommodations for drivers, a toilet block and landscaping. The plan is to provide space so that at least 40 trucks can be parked at the terminal at a time. The tender processes for both projects have been initiated,” added the SJDA chairperson.
While the new bus terminus will come up on a 3.5-acre plot, the truck terminal will have an area of 2.5 acres.
Deb, who was also present with Dugar, said long-distance buses which run from Siliguri to Calcutta and other destinations in south Bengal, Bihar, Assam and Jharkhand will run from the new terminus.
“At present, private transporters who run buses from Siliguri to these places run their buses from Hill Cart Road and the Siliguri Junction area. This leads to traffic congestion throughout the day. Once these buses are shifted to the new terminus at Matigara, traffic movement will improve in the city and at Hill Cart Road,” said the mayor.
He said that a third bus terminus will come up on a nine-acre plot at Mallaguri on a vacant plot of a state-run cattle feed plant.
“The state transport department will develop the project on PPP mode,” said Deb.
NBMCH upgrade
The SJDA has taken up a joint initiative with the SMC and the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad (SMP) to create some new facilities at the North Bengal Medical College & Hospital (NBMCH), the region's largest state-run hospital.
“A dedicated vendors’ place with kiosks will be developed in an area adjacent to the main campus, while the SMP will take up the task of waste management to keep the area clean. The SJDA will develop the necessary infrastructure,” Deb, who also chairs the Rogi Kalyan Samiti at the NBMCH, said.