Wider east bypass for Siliguri

TT, 02 Feb 2019, Siliguri: The state government has decided to widen a 10km stretch of the Eastern Bypass in Siliguri to ease traffic congestion, raising the prospect of faster travel to NJP station for tourists from Kalimpong, Sikkim and the Dooars.

In recent times, this is the second important work the state has taken up in the city to improve roads. Earlier, it had announced the widening of Burdwan Road, which connects to Asian Highway-II at the southern end of Siliguri along with an overbridge on the rail tracks near Jhankar More.

State tourism minister Gautam Deb, who launched the Bypass widening project here on Friday, said the PWD would complete the project in 18 months at a cost of Rs 53 crore.

"The width of the road will be 15 metres with a divider. We have conducted a survey. Around 100 temporary shops and establishments beside the road have to be relocated. We have also got consent from the state forest department to remove 500 plants. The state forest development corporation will start removing the plants from next week," said a PWD official.

The Eastern Bypass was built during Left rule but, with the rise in number of vehicles, the seven-metre-wide road has become inadequate to handle Deb commences the widening work on the Eastern Bypass in Siliguri on Friday. Picture by Passang Yolmo the load. "Around 4,500 heavy com- mercial vehicles ply every day along with thousands of other vehicles. The road has been damaged and needs extensive repairs and widening. That is why the project has been taken up," said the official.

Last year, Deb, also the MLA of Dabgram-Fulbari through which the road pass- es, had approached chief minister Mamata Banerjee requesting funds to improve the Bypass.

"The Bypass can become the principal alternative road for those descending from Kalimpong and Sikkim or coming from the Dooars and want to go to southern end of Siliguri, the New Jalpaiguri railway station or to Jalpaiguri. We have built an alternative road to Jalpaiguri from the Bypass as a result of which, vehicular movement has increased. But due to bad road conditions and narrower stretches, many vehicles prefer to drive through the city. That is why we want to widen and improve the Bypass," said Deb.