Siliguri, Sept. 28: Lack of basic facilities for travellers at Panitanki has become a talking point as elections to the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad are round the corner.
Thousands of people every day cross the border through Panitanki, the last Indian village before stepping into Nepal, but the place does not even have a public toilet.
Kakarvitta, which is across the border in Nepal, has all facilities for travellers in place.
"Panitanki and Kakarvitta are on either side of the Mechi bridge. But there are a lot of differences between the two towns. Panitanki even today is only a village, while Kakarvitta is a town. In Kakarvitta, there are all necessary facilities for people moving between the two countries, while in Panitanki, there is not even a toilet block," said Gautam Mondal, a grocery trader in Buraganj, the panchayat under which Panitanki is located that will vote on October 3.
According to him, the economy of Kharibari block depends largely on the border transit point.
Panitanki, which is in Kharibari block under the SMP, is around 40km from the town.
The road leading to the border is in pathetic shape and narrow, with traffic congestion being a common problem.
"Anybody coming from the Nepal side, particularly foreign tourists, would find Panitanki to be a shabby semi-urban area, where even the minimum facilities are not available. The border town gives the first impression of a country to a visitor. Those entering India for the first time through Panitanki are bound to have a negative impression, considering the unclean surroundings, narrow and broken roads, and absence of proper accommodation, restaurants, money exchange centres and other facilities," said Amit Poddar, a schoolteacher based in Panitanki. "But all these facilities are available at Kakarvitta."
With the SMP polls round the corner, the residents are demanding that the authorities give enough importance to the development of Panitanki.
"We want the state government and the new board to be formed at the SMP next month to take up the task of improving Panitanki," Binod Lohar, a cycle repair shop owner near Panitanki, said.
