GTA municipal affairs department member PT Ola and called representatives of the Darjeeling, Kurseong, Kalimpong and Mirik municipalities for a meeting at Lalkothi to discuss the project.
“The Vision Document has been in the making ever since we took control of the four municipalities three years ago. However, the progress was hampered by various issues that were prevailing in the hills. Now, we want to take this up seriously to upgrade our town areas that are in a mess,” said Ola.
The civic bodies will look into ways of alleviating traffic congestions and identifying areas where flyovers could come up and renovate and upgrade the sewage system as part of the beautification project.
“We do not want our future generations to face the problems we are enduring now. We also want tourists to find our towns clean and hygienic as the visitors comprise the backbone of the local economy,” added Ola.
The four municipalities in the hills have also been asked to establish a Town Planning Cell (TPC) within a month.
“The TPC will play a pivotal role in helping us prepare our planned project. Its members will comprise municipality officials and individuals from all walks of life. All suggestions and opinions are welcome, but they should be given within a month,” said Ola.
Once the DPR is prepared, it will be sent to the central government for approval and funding.
“We want to avail the benefits of the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission. This is why we will send the DPR directly to the central government,” said the GTA municipal affairs department member, when asked, while adding plans are also underway to set up satellite townships across the four municipality areas to ease their existing problems. (EOIC)