Plea to CM for Siliguri district

TT, Siliguri, Dec. 21: An apolitical body of Siliguri residents today submitted a memorandum addressed to chief minister Mamata Banerjee to the subdivisional officer here, demanding the formation of a separate Siliguri district.

The Brihattar Siliguri Nagarik Mancha said in the memorandum that it had been seeking the separate district since 2011.

"The entire Siliguri subdivision and Bhaktinagar police station area should be included in the proposed district. The state's decision to form a separate Kalimpong district is a welcome step. We believe the state government has taken the decision to provide better administration and judiciary to the people. If this is the case, then Siliguri also needs to be developed as a separate district," said Ratan Banik, the secretary of the Mancha.

"Kalimpong is 52km from Darjeeling, which is the district headquarters. Siliguri is 80km from Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri is 50km from Bhaktinagar. So, we hope the state government will consider our demand," he added.

The Mancha also requested the government to bring Bhaktinagar police station, which is under Siliguri Police Commissionerate, under the Darjeeling district judiciary. "People of Bhaktinagar have to go to Jalpaiguri for legal and administrative matters. The police station is under the commissionerate and yet, it has not been brought under Darjeeling district judiciary. So, we demand the establishment of metropolitan courts as is required in a commissionerate. It would help Bhaktinagar residents," Banik said.