TMC veteran Gautam Deb unveils ambitious plans to turn Siliguri into 'world-class city'
Telegraph | 17 April 2026
Gautam Deb, the Trinamool candidate from the Siliguri Assembly constituency, on Thursday unveiled an ambitious roadmap aimed at transforming Siliguri into a “world-class city,” with a strong emphasis on infrastructure, urban planning and upgrading administration.
Deb, who also serves as mayor of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, announced a comprehensive 12-point development programme that prioritises elevating Siliguri from a subdivisional town to a full-fledged district city.
“We have identified a 12-point programme to develop Siliguri as a world-class city and upgrade its administrative status. Preliminary discussions have already been held with the state government, and necessary implementation will be done after the elections,” Deb said, while releasing the roadmap along with a book documenting the city’s history at a private banquet hall.
A veteran Trinamool leader, Deb is contesting what is considered one of the toughest elections of his political career, marking his first Assembly contest from his hometown.
His position as mayor is seen as an advantage, as he has already initiated several key projects aligned with the proposed roadmap.
One of the flagship initiatives includes a mega drinking water project under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), jointly implemented with the central government, with an estimated cost of ₹511 crore. The first phase, worth ₹204 crore, is nearing completion.
The plan also outlines extensive urban infrastructure development, including the construction of multi-level car parking facilities, development of new roads and expansion of existing ones, a new flyover connecting Burdwan Road and Hill Cart Road, road projects such as Milan More–Mohurgong Gulma to NH110 worth ₹45 crore, two railway overbridges from Siliguri Junction to Khaprail More and widening of Old Matigara Road for which ₹80 crore would be spent.
“We will also spend ₹20.5 crore for renovation of the truck terminal at Paribahan Nagar in Matigara to ease traffic congestion,” said Deb.
He also highlighted plans to upgrade the Kanchenjunga Stadium with an initial investment of ₹9 crore, as part of a larger ₹100 crore project to develop it into an international-standard sports destination. “Land has already been identified for a new cricket stadium, which would be named after Richa Ghosh,” he added.
For the healthcare sector, he said a 100-bed cancer hospital is under construction with an estimated cost of ₹100 crore.
The roadmap also mentions religious and cultural tourism as a focus area, with construction underway for what Deb described as the world’s largest Mahakal Temple on the outskirts of the city.
He has also promised improvements in the administrative and civic infrastructure.
“Our vision is to transform Siliguri into a major urban hub in north Bengal, combining infrastructural growth with administrative elevation. The plan is to create a separate Siliguri district,” Deb said.
Deb also mentioned two other projects: the construction of a six-storey building for the Siliguri court complex and the underground power cable project worth ₹300 crore for the city, which is expected to be completed within six months.