Deb posers on Bista road push

TT, 1 August 2019, Siliguri: State tourism minister Gautam Deb has expressed doubts about the impact of recent initiatives by Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista for improvement of a stretch of NH 31 in Siliguri to ease traffic congestion and snarls.

According to Deb, Bista's push will hardly have any significance unless a communication on the issue reaches to the state from the Union ministry of surface transport and highways.

"We have nothing to do with Darjeeling MP's meeting with different ministers at the Centre. But the talks have to be held in between officials of central and state governments for the project. I don't think that an MP can be assigned the responsibility to hold meetings with central and state departments and agencies. Unless a communication from the concerned ministry reaches to the state, I doubt how much effective such efforts can be," said Deb on Wednesday.

He was speaking in reference to the recent meeting between Bista and Nitin Gadkari, the Union minister of surface transport and highways. On Tuesday, the MP had claimed that Gadkari has asked him to hold talks with officials of NHAI, state PWD and the Darjeeling district administration to prepare a roadmap for development of roads in Siliguri.

Asked about Deb's remarks, Bista said on Wednesday: "I am sure when the meeting regarding infrastructure development in the constituency is held during my visit, proper protocol will be followed. I am appealing to the honourable minister to not let small issues divert us from our collective goal of serving our constituents to the best of our abilities. I seek his cooperation, along with the cooperation of all elected officials and bureaucrats to help transform our region for the better," Bista told The Telegraph in a WhatsApp message.

The minister however, has planned to move ahead and launch a day-long "dharna" in Darjeeling More, the most congested location of the city, on August 2, alleging inaction on the part of the Centre to initiate the task of widening the highway.

"The state has always raised the issue. Couple of years back, we have carried out necessary survey for a sixlane road. The NH division of state PWD were asked by the Centre to carry out necessary designing and planning and accordingly, it was done. The Centre however, did not take up the project then. We want them to engage experts to make an assessment of growth in traffic in the coming years and then draw up a comprehensive plan. The `dharna' has been planned with this demand," said Deb.

Deb in Siliguri on Wednesday. Picture by Passang Yolmo The MP, on the other hand, has maintained that it is his duty to bring the issue to the notice of the Union minister. The issue has been raised as deficiency of infrastructure is causing inconvenience to the people in Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency, he said. "Being from Siliguri, I am sure the honourable tourism minister Gautam Deb is aware of the traffic related issues plaguing our region. Our concentrated efforts should be aimed at helping the people and alleviating the everyday hassle our constituents have to face and suffer, instead of allowing red tape and petty ego to come in the way of doing so," Bista said in his response..