Siliguri, 12th June: Concerns over multiple issues in the panchayat system of North Bengal were raised by State Panchayats and Rural Development Minister Dilip Ghosh during an administrative review meeting held in Siliguri on Friday.
The meeting was held at Mainak Tourist Lodge in Siliguri with officials from five North Bengal districts, Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Alipurduar. Darjeeling MLA Noman Rai and Kurseong MLA Sonam Lama were also present.
During the meeting, a severe shortage of staff in the panchayat department came up for discussion. The minister noted that in many blocks there is not even a single engineer available. To address this issue, a decision has been taken to recruit 11,000 staff across the three-tier panchayat system.
Several central government schemes were also discussed during the meeting. The minister stated that pending funds from 2023 to 2026 are being released in phases, along with allocations under the Fifteenth Finance Commission. Recently, ₹1,700 crore has been sanctioned from the Centre, a portion of which will be used for schemes including the 100 Days Work Programme.
He also highlighted challenges in the implementation of the housing scheme in tea garden areas due to lack of land pattas, which is preventing house allotments. The issue was discussed for possible resolution.
The minister further acknowledged infrastructure gaps in hill areas affecting service delivery and expressed dissatisfaction over the functioning of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).