Deb clean-up drive plan for Siliguri - Minister aims to make town neater by November 30

Gautam Deb at SMC in Siliguri on Monday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo

TT, Siliguri, Sept. 22: Minister Gautam Deb today said an award would be given to borough offices on the basis of their performance to clean up Siliguri’s municipal wards by November 30.

The award has not been finalised yet. There are 47 wards in the town which come under five borough offices.

“We have initiated a cleanliness drive in the town and want wholehearted participation from residents. We are approaching businessmen, traders in marketplaces, students, youths and the people in general to maintain cleanliness in the town,” Deb said today.

“As the civic body and its employees posted in different boroughs are primarily engaged in the drive, we have decided to award the best borough after the festive season on the basis of the cleanliness drive carried out by them in the wards,” he said.

“Our officers and employees are visiting marketplaces and urging traders to keep their localities clean. We are also determined to introduce a full-fledged solid waste management or garbage collection system in all 47 wards of the town. There has been much hue and cry on the issue that nothing effective was done by the then councillors in most of the wards,” said Deb.

“We have seen that some former councillors who often demand proper and prompt disposal of garbage have not introduced the solid waste management system in their own wards,” he said.

“Among them are former mayor Nurul Islam and former chairman Dilip Singh.”

Both are former councillors of the CPM.

The north Bengal development minister, while speaking about the plans of the cleanliness drive, said the SMC would soon get covered garbage bins to be placed in marketplaces and commercial buildings, three mobile compactors (vehicles with machinery fitted to compact the garbage) and one bulldozer.

“There are 91 trucks which carry garbage to the dumping ground. There will be proper and consistent monitoring to ensure that all these trucks function optimally to keep the town clean. In all the five boroughs, we are deputing dedicated officers to look after solid waste management. The sophisticated vehicles and equipments will soon be at the disposal of the SMC,” he added.

“We intend to develop Siliguri as a clean town by November 30 this year. While the town would be cleaned, beautification work would be simultaneously taken up. Funds to the tune of Rs 3.69 crore have been already been allotted for beautification purposes,” the minister said.

Speaking about marketplaces, Deb said he is visiting the local markets everyday. Today, he visited the markets in Subhaspally, Ghoghomali and Haiderpara areas in Siliguri

“We have met the businessmen and traders in these markets. They have been asked to prepare a detailed report on the present state of civic services available in their markets as well as the shortcomings. For example, whether the market building needs renovation, whether there is proper water supply or whether there is regular disposal of garbage,” said Deb.

Earlier in the morning, Deb also participated in an awareness rally with school students, officials of civil and police administration and SMC in different places of the town.