The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) will build a rest house on the outskirts of Siliguri to provide accommodation to hill residents who visit the city for different purposes.
GTA deputy chairman Rajesh Chouhan said the decision to construct the rest house, which would be named Shramik Bhavan, had been made at a meeting between state labour minister Moloy Ghatak and Anit Thapa, the chief executive of the hill body.
“On Monday, they held a meeting in the office of the state labour department. The minister said his department would provide a 10-cottah plot on which the building would come up. The plot is near Darjeeling More, the principal entry point to Siliguri,” said Chouhan.
Sources said after assuming the office of the chief executive, Thapa had promised that such a rest house would be built in Siliguri.
“People from the hills visit Siliguri and surrounding areas for education, healthcare and other purposes. The rest house will provide accommodation for them. Also, there will be arrangements for refreshments. He (Thapa) was in regular contact with the state labour minister and officials of his department and eventually, the minister acted on the proposal and agreed to provide the land,” said a source in the GTA.
The charges, Chouhan said, would be comparatively less than hotels and lodges in Siliguri so that hill residents from different economic groups could stay at the rest house.
The rest house will have 100 beds with a kitchen, a cafeteria and dining space. “There is also a plan to provide accommodation to students and senior citizens at subsidised rates,” he added.
The GTA has already started preparing the detailed project report which will have a comprehensive plan of the building, along with estimates.
“It will be sent to the state labour department for allocation of funds,” said a source.