Uttarkanya to be revamped as Suvendu unveils governance roadmap for North Bengal

To restore the original role of Uttarkanya as the administrative hub for North Bengal and ensure faster delivery of government services, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Friday directed Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal to comprehensively revamp the branch secretariat in Siliguri.

Speaking at a high-level administrative review meeting at the Siliguri office, the Chief Minister recalled many in north Bengal had demanded the establishment of the branch secretariat.

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Referring to the late former state minister and Forward Bloc leader Kamal Guha, he said the institution was created to decentralise governance and bring the administration closer to the people of the region.

He observed that Uttarkanya had gradually lost its effectiveness during the later years of the previous government and stressed that it must now function as an empowered regional administrative centre.

To strengthen the institution, the Chief Minister directed that Joint Secretary-level officers from key departments will regularly function from Uttarkanya.

Departments such as Land and Land Reforms, Land Acquisition, Forest, Irrigation, Disaster Management and other sectors crucial to North Bengal will have dedicated senior officers stationed at the branch secretariat to facilitate quicker decision-making.

Another key decision taken at the meeting was the proposal to establish a permanent regional office of the North Bengal Development Department (NBDD) at Gajol in Malda district.

The office will cater to Malda, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur, enabling better coordination and implementation of development projects in the three districts.

The meeting, attended physically by officials from Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri districts while other districts joined virtually, also reviewed several governance and infrastructure issues.

The Chief Minister handed over compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of those killed in the recent NBSTC bus accident near Maynaguri in Jalpaiguri.

In a move aimed at improving transparency, revenue inspectors have been directed to wear body cameras during field inspections. CCTV cameras will also be installed in all Block Land and Land Reforms Offices to curb corruption and irregularities relating to land records, mutation and change of land status.

The Chief Minister further instructed officials to expedite land acquisition for important state and central government projects in North Bengal, including railway infrastructure, road over bridges, border-related projects and the proposed airport at Hasimara in Alipurduar.

The meeting also reviewed the implementation of central government schemes. District administrations across North Bengal have been directed to prepare lists of one lakh beneficiaries each under the Surya Ghar Yojana, with a target of enrolling eight lakh beneficiaries across the region.