Government Identifying Sites for Proposed National Institutions in North Bengal, Says Anandamoy Barman

EOI, July 1, 2026, Siliguri: For the first time in the history of Darjeeling district, a meeting of the District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) was convened at the State Guest House in Siliguri on Wednesday.

West Bengal Minister of State for Finance and Transport Anandamoy Barman, Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, elected public representatives and senior district administration officials attended the meeting. Discussions centred round the implementation and monitoring of various Central and State government welfare and infrastructure development projects.

Speaking after the meeting, Anandamoy Barman said that preparations were underway to establish several premier national institutions in north Bengal, including an AIIMS, IIT, IIM and a cancer hospital, through the joint efforts of the Centre and the West Bengal government.

He said that each institution would require approximately 100 to 150 acres, and the administration was currently identifying suitable sites, including land in closed or sick tea gardens and government-owned land in the Matigara and Naxalbari areas.

He said that the expansion of the Bagdogra International Airport was progressing rapidly, and the proposed institutions were likely to be developed near the airport to ensure better connectivity.

The Minister asked officials to expedite the settlement of long-pending land patta issues in north Bengal.

He said special camps would be organised to issue SC/ST certificates to eligible tribal and underprivileged families.

Additionally, the State had urged the Centre to relax the eligibility criteria under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) to enable more economically weaker families to benefit from the housing scheme.

Chairing the DISHA meeting for the first time, Darjeeling MP Raju Bista said the committee was introduced by the Union Ministry of Rural Development in July 2016 to improve coordination, monitoring and implementation of development projects at the district level.

He alleged that during the previous Trinamool Congress government, monitoring committees in constituencies represented by BJP MPs were deliberately kept inactive. This had affected transparency and accountability in the utilisation of development funds.

He claimed that the present BJP-led government in West Bengal was working to restore transparency and strengthen democratic functioning in the State.

"The previous Trinamool regime blocked such platforms in constituencies where BJP MPs were elected, denying people the benefit of coordinated development or an effective monitoring body. This allowed Trinamool politicians to siphon off thousands of crores of development funds without any accountability," Bista alleged.

Bista said that the DISHA committee would monitor more than 42 Central government schemes under 20 Union Ministries, including the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, AMRUT, Har Ghar Jal, National Health Mission and ICDS, with the objective of ensuring effective implementation and strengthening rural infrastructure.

The meeting also reviewed monsoon preparedness across north Bengal.

Officials were instructed to strengthen surveillance along vulnerable riverbanks to prevent erosion and flooding, while NDRF teams were being kept on standby for emergency response.

The administration also announced strict measures against illegal sand and stone mining, particularly along the Balason River and other major rivers, to minimise erosion and revenue loss.

As part of the monsoon safety measures, all sand and stone extraction from rivers would remain suspended for the next three months.

A separate meeting involving the District Magistrate and concerned departments will be convened shortly to address the recurring waterlogging and erosion issues in areas around Matigara during the monsoon season.