The state government on Thursday announced the names of the chairman and the vice-chairman of the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA).

Dilip Duggar, who is associated with a corporate group, is the chairman. Pratul Chakakraborty, who is the new vice-chairman of the SJDA, is the chairman of the Trinamool Congress-run Siliguri Municipal Corporation.

The district magistrate of Darjeeling was made a member of the development body.

Duggar said his appointment was a reflection of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s focus on the development of north Bengal.

“The chief minister is closely monitoring development projects in north Bengal. This decision has proved it once again. We will work under her guidance," said Duggar.

In June 2024, the chief minister announced at an administrative meeting in Nabanna that the SJDA had been dissolved. She also announced that the government was planning to dissolve similar authorities, which hardly function these days.

Chakraborty, a veteran Trinamool leader, admitted that it would be a new experience for him to serve in the SJDA, as he is not familiar with its functioning so far. “This new appointment (as vice-chairman) will be a new experience for me, as I was never a part of it. I will have to check about its functioning and after that, we will try to carry out development work.”

A source said the new chairman and his deputy would meet Siliguri mayor Gautam Deb soon to discuss the SJDA's functioning.