Firhad Hakim to review water supply situation in Siliguri

Amitava Banerjee, MP, 10 June 2024, Darjeeling: Municipal Affairs and Urban Development minister, Government of West Bengal, is scheduled to be in Siliguri on Tuesday during which he will review the drinking water supply situation and other development projects. 

A meeting is also scheduled at the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC). “Minister Firhad Hakim will arrive in Siliguri on Tuesday. He will visit the drinking water supply projects and review the water supply situation. 

A meeting will also be held at the Siliguri Municipal Corporation,” stated Mayor Gautam Deb. As per the minister’s official schedule, he will arrive in Siliguri at around 1:30 pm on June 11. At around 4 pm, Hakim is scheduled to visit and review water supply projects along with other development projects in and around Siliguri. 

At 7 pm he is scheduled to hold a meeting with Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders in a private hotel in Sukna, Siliguri. On Wednesday, he will depart for Kolkata from Bagdogra at 5:15 pm. 

Recently, there was a major problem with the drinking water supply in Siliguri leading to an acute crisis. On May 29, the Siliguri Municipal Corporation had appealed to residents not to consume the water being supplied by the Corporation, declaring the water unsafe for drinking with the rise in levels of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD). 

The water was being pumped from the Mahananda River, with the dam at Gajoldoba on the Teesta damaged owing to heavy siltation. 

The Mayor had stated that after the repair of the dam, potable water supply would resume, pumped from the Teesta from June 2 evening. Till then municipality tankers would supply water in all the wards along with water pouches. This caused panic with complaints of shortage. 

However, the situation normalised from June 3 with drinking water supply resuming from Teesta. At present, drinking water is supplied from the water treatment plant at Fulbari. 

The minister is scheduled to visit this site. The present demand is 70 MLD for a population of around 10 lakh, while the supply is 55 MLD. A new project is also in the pipeline. The drinking water scheme will have a capacity of 135 million liters per day (MLD). The project will be set up at Gajoldoba. 

The entire project cost is Rs 511.08 crore of which, first phase work will cost Rs 204 crore. The Public Health Engineering prepared a Detailed Project Report and a company from Chennai has got the tender. 

Sources stated that the political meeting is to review the recent debacle in the Lok Sabha election in both the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, though having control over the civic bodies and the Panchayats. 

Courtesy & source- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/firhad-hakim-to-review-water-supply-situation-in-siliguri-567373