Bharatiya Janata Party’s Siliguri organisational district president Arun Mandal has urged Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to take up a series of ambitious development initiatives aimed at transforming north Bengal into a major economic and employment hub.
In a letter addressed recently to the Chief Minister, Mr Mandal submitted a comprehensive development blueprint for Siliguri and the wider north Bengal region, proposing four flagship projects that he said could unlock the area’s untapped potential and address long-standing concerns over economic and administrative neglect.
The proposals include the establishment of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in north Bengal, the creation of a “Pineapple World” Mega Food Park and Export Zone, promotion of tourism and local products through focused economic and cultural initiatives, and the setting up of a north Bengal agri-education and agribusiness hub.
According to Mr Mandal, north Bengal possesses immense geostrategic, agricultural and tourism potential but requires substantial institutional and infrastructural support to achieve sustained growth. He argued that the proposed projects would generate large-scale employment opportunities, strengthen healthcare services and stimulate investment across the region.
The BJP leader also highlighted a long-standing demand raised by industrialists, entrepreneurs and trade bodies in north Bengal for extending special category benefits under various Central government schemes to several districts of the region.
In his submission, Mr Mandal noted that neighbouring north-eastern states and Sikkim enjoy special provisions under schemes such as PMEGP, UNNATI-2024, Gramudyog Vikas Yojana, PM-DeviNE and programmes implemented through the North Eastern Council and the North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation.
He pointed out that five north Bengal districts ~ Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar ~ share socio-economic characteristics similar to those of the north-eastern states but are not covered under the same benefits.
Seeking the Chief Minister’s intervention, Mr Mandal requested that these districts be included as special-category regions under relevant Central schemes. Such a move, he said, would significantly boost self-employment, entrepreneurship and overall socio-economic development in north Bengal.
The BJP leader expressed hope that the proposed projects and policy measures would receive government support and help usher in a new phase of comprehensive development across the region.