Mayor Gautam Deb on Friday presented a ₹638.42 crore budget of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) for the 2026–2027 financial year.

The proposed outlay marks a reduction of nearly ₹47 crore compared to the 2025–2026 fiscal year and projects a deficit of ₹10.84 crore in the next fiscal year.

With the Assembly elections round the corner, the Trinamool Congress-led SMC emphasised infrastructure development. The budget prioritises road connectivity, healthcare, sports facilities, traffic management, civic infrastructure upgrades and a revised pay structure for municipal employees.

THRUST ON GROWTH

Some of the announcements made by mayor Gautam Deb in the budget of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation for the 2026-2027 financial year

• A 30-bed hospital near Matri Sadan at Dabgram with an allocation of ₹9.90 crore

• The sixth bridge over the Mahananda river and an alternative road (to connect Surya Sen Park and Bhanunagar) with an estimated project cost of ₹97.82 crore

• A scientific polystyrene (thermocol) processing unit with a project cost of ₹1.5 crore

• Improvement of roads with an allocation of ₹20 crore

• Beautification of the road over bridge on Burdwan Road
• A new bus stand at Tinbatti More with an allocation of ₹2.50 crore

• Hridoy Sparsha, a hospital for treatment and sterilisation of street dogs and other animals

• Renovation of the Kanchanjunga Stadium with an allocation of ₹9.40 crore

• The renovation of Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das Municipal Indoor Stadium at an expenditure of ₹1.11 crore, and the opening of a new table tennis academy

• Cycling and joggers’ track at Eastern Bypass

• A sewerage treatment plant at the confluence of the Balason and Mahananda rivers, with an allocation of ₹361 crore. Compiled by Bireswar Banerjee

While tabling the budget, Deb said the civic body outlined a comprehensive roadmap for the city’s development over the next year.

“From easing traffic congestion to strengthening healthcare and sports infrastructure, we have proposed a series of projects aimed at the overall growth of the city. Several initiatives are already underway and nearing completion. Detailed project reports for selected schemes will be submitted to the state urban development and municipal affairs (UDMA) department for final approval to ensure early implementation,”
he said.

To streamline the execution of the projects, the mayor announced the formation of a “Programme Implementation Committee”, along with an “Administrative Calendar”, to monitor and ensure time-bound completion of projects in municipal areas.

He pointed out that Siliguri had recently been placed in seismic classification zone-VI in the New Seismic Zonation Map of 2025.

“The civic body has sought specific guidelines from the state’s UDMA department to ensure that all future constructions in the city adhere to seismic safety standards appropriate for the zone,” he said.

Among the key infrastructure proposals are the development of alternative road corridors, the construction of a sixth bridge over the Mahananda river, the establishment of a new bus terminus, and the reconstruction and development of 100 roads in Siliguri.

“Hundred roads in the SMC area will be reconstructed or upgraded in coordination with the municipal engineering directorate under the state’s Pathashri project, with an estimated expenditure of ₹9.79 crore,” the mayor said.

“The budget reflects the civic body’s attempt to balance fiscal prudence with a strong push for visible infrastructure development ahead of the elections,” said a political observer.

Since Trinamool came to power in Bengal in 2011, the party has won the Siliguri Assembly seat (comprising 33 wards) only once and the Dabgram-Fulbari seat (comprising the remaining 14 wards and four panchayats of Jalpaiguri district) twice.

“This time, Trinamool is keen to wrest both the seats from the BJP. As the BJP is playing the infrastructure card and showcasing prominent highway, air and rail projects, Trinamool is trying to counter it by using the same card. That is why the civic body has given impetus to the infrastructure development in the city,” the
observer added.