Gautam Deb, the mayor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation, at the monthly meeting of the civic board on Friday said that the under-construction flyover along Burdwan road, a prominent thoroughfare in Siliguri, will open in June of this year.

State PWD took up the project around seven years ago but the work suffered due to certain reasons.

“The flyover on Burdwan Road is likely to open on June 30 this year. The state PWD has mentioned the date,” said Deb, while replying to a query from Amit Jain, BJP councillor and the opposition leader in the SMC.

The flyover will cover the railway track that connects Siliguri Town and Siliguri Junction stations. Over the past few months, people from different walks of life have raised questions over the unfinished project.

“People have compared the slow progress of the project, vis-à-vis the progress of the road projects, which include construction of roads and bridges, which have been taken up by the Centre in and around Siliguri,” said a political observer.

“That is why, it seems, the mayor has come up with a tentative date for the opening of the flyover,” he added.

Elaborating on the project, Deb said that the initial project cost of the 1.124km long flyover, was ₹44.85 crore. Later, however, the estimate was revised to₹68.75 crores.

“The railway authorities are working on the construction of a 51-metre-long stretch of the project that will be over the railway track. The state has allocated ₹14.62 crores to the railway for the work,” said Deb.

The mayor also mentioned that the state PWD has taken up the task of widening portions of Burdwan road on both sides.

“Once the flyover is opened, landscaping will be done along the road. We will also speak with the police so that the space below the flyover can be used to park vehicles,” he added.