66-956: Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) or Rural Electricity Infrastructure and Household Electrification Scheme was launched in 2005 with the aim to provide electricity to all rural areas. In 2013, an amount of Rs. 198.98 crore was sanctioned to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) under this scheme which was later renamed as Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana and recently as " saubhagya " This scheme aimed at electrifying all villages and habitations, Providing access to electricity to all rural households andProviding electricity connection to Below Poverty Line (BPL) families free of charge. To augment resource capacities for implementation of this scheme, Ministry of Power, Govt. of India involved CPSUs like NTPC , NHPC , PGCIL and DVC for making available their project management expertise and capabilities to
132-529: A 2001 thesis, Bengali speakers had a percentage of 64.25% out of the total population. Of the 30 wards in 2001, their population ranged from 11.71% to 98.96%. The most commonly followed religion in Siliguri is Hinduism , with Islam being the largest minority religion, followed by small percentage of adherents of Christianity and Buddhism . Siliguri saw rapid urbanisation under the British rule and that
198-492: A Municipal corporation which has been responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city of Siliguri. Siliguri has now achieved the status of becoming the third-largest city in West Bengal , after Kolkata and Asansol . Siliguri is located at the foothills of the eastern Himalayas at a location of 26°43′N 88°26′E / 26.71°N 88.43°E / 26.71; 88.43 . The city
264-454: A prominent city for national champions like Mantu Ghosh , the gold medalist winner in the bi-annual South Asian Games (SAF) for table tennis, Ankita Das , Nandita Saha and Soumyajit Ghosh another internationally acclaimed table tennis player and Wriddhiman Saha – Indian international cricketer who plays First-class and Test cricket for the Indian national team . Siliguri has done
330-657: A retired High Court judge examined the demand to bring the Gorkha-inhabited pockets of the Dooars and the Terai under the GTA. The Memorandum of Agreement for GTA was signed on 18 July 2011 at Pintail Village near Siliguri in the presence of Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram , West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee , the then Darjeeling Lok Sabha MP Jaswant Singh and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leaders. The agreement
396-479: A single platform and two tracks; one broad gauge line and one metre gauge line. Rangapani railway station (station code RNI) is part of the greater Siliguri metropolitan area. It is 14 km from Siliguri City center and serves Rangapani and adjacent areas. Rangapani railway station is on the Howrah-New Jalpaiguri line . This station is a halting point for 2 passenger trains. Bagdogra Airport
462-461: A small area in the northern part of city, on the front of Mahananda River , which is now Dagapur. The Treaty of Sugauli in 1816, signed between Britain-Nepal, changed the prospects of Siliguri, and it became a point of transit for the Darjeeling hills and Nepal mainland. From 1816 onwards, Siliguri started growing rapidly as a small city due to its strategic location in trade routes. In 1865,
528-604: A state of Gorkhaland led by GJM, the GJM reached an agreement with the state government to form a semi-autonomous body to administer the Darjeeling hills. A bill for the creation of GTA was passed in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly on 2 September 2011. The GTA aimed to have administrative, executive and financial powers but no legislative powers. A 10-member joint verification committee headed by
594-490: A three-member "Fact Verification Committee" to go into the recommendations of Justice Sen Committee after the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha rejected its report. The Calcutta High Court admitted on 19 June 2012 the case moved by Gorkha National Liberation Front leader Subhash Ghisingh challenging the legality of the GTA. Justice Dipankar Dutta told the three signatories to the GTA agreement – the central government,
660-431: A transportation hub, Siliguri is well connected through railway with almost all parts of the country. There are seven stations that serve the city. New Jalpaiguri Junction railway station , established in 1960 (station code NJP) is an A1 category broad gauge and narrow gauge railway station under Katihar railway division of Northeast Frontier Railway zone . It is the biggest railway station of Northeast India serving
726-455: A tremendous job for Indian table tennis. Bikash Ghosh Memorial Swimming Pool is beside Kanchenjunga Stadium in the city, and conducts swimming competitions. White water rafting is done nearby in the Teesta river . Kanchenjunga Stadium, a multipurpose stadium, is the main stadium in Siliguri, and is primarily used for football matches, although it has also hosted several cricket matches. It has
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#1732772437510792-444: A violent agitation for its formation in the 1980s. This movement culminated with the formation of Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) in 1988. The DGHC did not fulfill its goal of forming a new state, which led to the downfall of Subhash Ghisingh and the rise of another party Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) headed by Bimal Gurung in 2007, which launched a second agitation for a Gorkhaland state. After three years of agitation for
858-530: Is 10 km from Siliguri junction and is the third largest railway station after NJP and Siliguri Junction. This station serves Bagdogra and adjacent areas. Bagdogra railway station is on the Siliguri-Aluabari broad gauge single line via Thakurganj . This station is the halting point for 14 trains. Gulma railway station Railway (station code GLMA) is part of the Siliguri Urban area. It
924-554: Is 12 km from Siliguri City center and serves Champasari Anchal and Gulma areas. Gulma railway station is on the New Jalpaiguri-Alipurduar-Samuktala Road Line . This station is the halting point of 5 trains. Mainly passenger train halt at in this station. Matigara Railway Station (station code MTRA) is situated at Mathapari, West Bengal. Trains passing through this station include MLFC - SGUJ DEMU and SGUJ- MLFC DEMU. This station has
990-585: Is an international airport located towards the west of Siliguri city, operated as a civil enclave at AFS Bagdogra of the Indian Air Force . This airport is a major transport hub in the region, with flights to Kolkata , Durgapur , New Delhi , Mumbai , Chennai , Bangalore , Hyderabad , Ahmedabad , Guwahati , Dibrugarh and has international connectivity with Paro and Bangkok . The airport also has regular helicopter services to Gangtok . Due to its location near Darjeeling hills and Sikkim ,
1056-471: Is another major broad gauge and narrow gauge railway station of Siliguri. Until 2011 it was the only triple gauge (broad gauge, meter gauge and narrow gauge) railway station in India. After 2011, the meter gauge was shut down, but the track remains between Siliguri Junction railway station and Bagdogra railway station. Many different cities in India are serviced from this station. Siliguri Town railway station
1122-399: Is famous for elephants. Sukna is the gateway to this sanctuary, which is 12 km from Siliguri. These sub-Himalayan forests are the home of various types of wild animals like the elephant , tiger , Indian bison , barking deer , wild pig, monkey, civet , snake, lizard, mountain goat, sambar , chital and fishing cat . These forests are also home of about 243 different bird species like
1188-604: Is found in Baikunthapur Forest, near Siliguri city. The rapid growth of the city has led to deforestation, making Siliguri warmer day by day and unbalancing the ecosystem. Siliguri is located in the Terai region ("moist land"), a belt of marshy grasslands and dense tropical deciduous moist forests at the base of Himalaya range which is rich in biodiversity, containing numerous rare species of flora and fauna. These forests are characterised by their distinct wildlife variety. Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary near Siliguri
1254-674: Is one of the oldest railway station (station code SGUT) of the region, opened in 1880 for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (Toy train) connecting Siliguri and Darjeeling. Its importance diminished with the construction of the Siliguri Junction railway station and New Jalpaiguri junction. Siliguri Town railway station is also a broad gauge and narrow gauge railway station, and is halting point for 8 trains only. Bagdogra railway station (station code BORA) comes under greater Siliguri metropolitan area. It
1320-522: Is spread over an area of 260 km within the Siliguri Corridor , and has earned a moniker the Chicken's neck . The city is surrounded by dense forests towards north and lifeline of Siliguri, Mahananda River flows through the city thereby bisecting it into two halves. Teesta river is not far from the city. Siliguri has an average elevation of 122 metres (400 feet). As Siliguri is located in
1386-502: Is the official language in Siliguri subdivision , including Siliguri city. In the municipal corporation at the time of the 2011 census, 60.88% of the population spoke Bengali , 25.24% Hindi , 4.66% Nepali , 2.39% Bhojpuri , 1.58% Marwari and 1.24% Urdu as their first language. Bengalis form the majority linguistic group in the city, followed by Biharis , Marwaris , Punjabis , Nepalis , Odias , and Tribals . According to
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#17327724375101452-518: Is the wettest month (804 mm) and January is the driest month (12 mm). The average rainy days in July is 27 and for December and January it is 1. Humidity is high throughout the year. Religions of Siliguri (2011) Languages of Siliguri (2011) Based on the Census data of 2011, the population of Siliguri UA/Metropolitan (including Siliguri municipal corporation and Dabagram municipality) is 701,489, while
1518-705: The "Gateway of Northeast India" , Siliguri is popular for three Ts: Tea, Timber and Tourism. It is located on the banks of the Mahananda and the Teesta River in the foothills of the Himalayas . Siliguri is the third largest urban agglomeration in West Bengal, after Kolkata and Asansol . Siliguri has great strategic importance in West Bengal, with convenient access to three international borders: Nepal , Bangladesh and Bhutan . It also connects
1584-519: The Dooars in northern region of West Bengal have expressed a desire to create. A demand for a separate administrative unit in Darjeeling has existed since 1909, when the Hillmen's Association of Darjeeling submitted a memorandum to Minto-Morley Reforms demanding a separate administrative setup. The term Gorkhaland was coined by Subhash Ghisingh , leader of Gorkha National Liberation Front , who led
1650-519: The Terai region, the soil is sandy in nature with the ratio of sand and silt much higher than clay. This region is very prone to earthquake as there are several fault lines nearby. The Siliguri subdivision is surrounded by Himalayan ranges towards north and towards south by the country Bangladesh , Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal and the Indian state of Bihar . On the east lies Jalpaiguri district and Kalimpong district and bounded on
1716-733: The pied hornbill , egret , kingfisher, drongo, fly catcher, woodpecker and others. Another common sight is migratory water birds. NH 27 crosses through the heart of the city which is now a part of the AH2 project. Siliguri is the origin of the century-old Hill Cart Road that is NH 110 , which connects Siliguri and Darjeeling (77 km) dating from the British period. Siliguri also is the origin of NH 10 which connects Gangtok, and NH 12 which connects Pankhabari-Mirik. The highways NH 327, that connects Siliguri — Panitanki and NH 327B connecting Panitanki - Mechi Bridg, are also part of AH2 . It connects to adjacent countries through following routes: Being
1782-508: The state government is responsible for developing and maintaining the infrastructure for water supply, while the Water Supply department of the corporation provides new connections, supplies water, and collects the user charges. The Conservancy Environment Department of the corporation provides Solid Waste Management services in the city. Each ward in the city has its own Solid Waste Management committee that takes care of cleanliness at
1848-472: The Bagdogra Airport sees thousands of tourists annually. Central government of India confirmed international airport status to this airport in 2002 with limited international operations. This is one of the few airports in India with zero sales tax on aviation turbine fuel. Siliguri hosts numerous sporting events and matches to influence and build develop young athletes from the city. Some of
1914-518: The British captured Darjeeling and the entire Dooars region to build tea plantations and export the produce to England. To scale up exportation they introduced the Siliguri Town railway station which stands to this day, and introduced the Toy train from the station to Darjeeling in 1880. This helped Siliguri gain sub-divisional town status in 1907. The Siliguri Corridor was formed when Bengal
1980-459: The Darjeeling hills for 23 years. GTA presently consists of three hill subdivisions Darjeeling , Kurseong , Mirik , some areas of Siliguri subdivision of Darjeeling district and the whole of Kalimpong district under its authority. Gorkhaland is the name of the proposed state in India that the Nepali -speaking Indian Gorkha ethnic group in the district of Darjeeling and Kalimpong and
2046-484: The Dooars and Terai that it had rejected. After a period of silence, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha announced the names of its GTA election nominees. Parties that formed the Gorkhaland Task Force ( CPRM , ABGL , GNLF(C) , Gorkhaland Rajya Nirman Morcha and others) decided not contest the GTA elections. Both CPI(M) and Trinamool Congress fielded candidates in the election. The GNLF decided to boycott
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2112-522: The GTA memorandum of agreement and the GTA Act in June 2017, saying that the GTA had failed to fulfill the aspirations of the people. On 20 September 2017, the West Bengal government reconstituted the GTA and appointed rebel GJM leader Binoy Tamang as its chairperson. Before the 2019 Darjeeling assembly bye-election, Binoy Tamang stepped down as GTA chairman to contest the assembly bye-election. Anit Thapa
2178-409: The GTA on 26 May 2012 to which elections are to be held in July 2012. The high-powered committee headed by retired judge Shyamal Kumar Sen that was set up by the West Bengal government recommended inclusion of just five mouzas under the proposed GTA although the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha had demanded 398 mouzas from the Dooars and Terai regions. The West Bengal government announced that it would set up
2244-403: The GTA. In a meeting held on 24 March 2012 between GJM leaders and the West Bengal government, it was decided that the election to the GTA would be held in the end of June or in July 2012. The Justice Sen Committee would be requested to submit its report on the inclusion of additional areas of Terai and Dooars in the GTA by early June 2012. The WB government released a list of 45 constituencies of
2310-618: The Gorkhaland and Adivasi Territorial Administration (GATA) in place of the GTA. The ABAVP decided to agree to incorporate 196 mouzas of the Dooars and 199 mouzas of the Terai region into the proposed GATA. The President of India Pratibha Patil gave her assent to the GTA Bill of West Bengal on 7 March 2012. The West Bengal government issued a gazette notification for the GTA Act on 14 March 2012, signalling preparations for elections for
2376-529: The North-East with mainland India. Located in the foothills of Eastern Himalayas , Siliguri is a significant trading and transportation hub. According to Sailen Debnath, "Siliguri" means a stack of pebbles or stones. Until the 19th century this region was called as "Shilchaguri" when there was dense Dolka forest covering the region. Siliguri was a small agricultural village in the Kingdom of Sikkim . It
2442-576: The Sub-Himalayan forests are rich in fauna diversity. The plains of North Bengal (Siliguri, Jalpaiguri , Cooch Behar etc.) are surrounded by deep forests. These forests are home of various rare and common species of plants. The forest here is moist Tropical and characterised by dense growth of tall Sal ( Shorea robusta ). Sal occupies about 80% of all vegetation in these tropical forest. These forests are categorised by their dominating plant species such as 1) East Himalayan Sal Forest, present on
2508-711: The Union Board was set up in Siliguri under the Bengal Village Self-Government Act, 1919 and it provided public utilities in the city. The Municipal Council was set up in 1949 under the Bengal Municipal Act of 1932 with 8 wards. The first chairperson of the municipality was the Sub Divisional Officer, and the local councillors, called 'commissioners' in the then municipal act in effect, were nominated by
2574-573: The approval. The present City Development Plan 2041 for Siliguri was developed in 2015 as part of the Capacity Building for Urban Development project under the then Ministry of Urban Development by the private consultancy, CRISIL Risk and Infrastructure Solutions Limited . Siliguri City comes under Siliguri Jalpaiguri Planning Area and the responsibility of planning and development of the city lies with Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority . The Public Health Engineering Department of
2640-529: The chairperson. This board will take care of the civic utilities of the city till the new municipal body is elected. This follows the establishment of similar boards first in state capital Kolkata and then the rest of the state. Siliguri is part of the Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency . The last elections for the Lok Sabha took place in 2024 , when Raju Bista from Bharatiya Janta Party won
2706-637: The city Siliguri. This station is well connected to almost all parts of the country except Goa . This station ranked 10th cleanest railway station in India in a 2016 survey and was among the top 100 booking stations of Indian railway. Many premium services are available, including 1 international Mitali Express , Howrah–New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express , New Jalpaiguri - Guwahati Vande Bharat Express , New Jalpaiguri–Patna Vande Bharat Express , 4 Rajdhani Express , 2 Tourist Vistadome Express, 1 Shatabdi Express and 2 Humsafar Express. Siliguri Junction railway station (station code SGUJ) established in 1949
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2772-516: The corporation has 23 departments. It has 47 wards, of which 14 wards are in Jalpaiguri district, while the remaining 33 wards are in Darjeeling district. The last municipal elections were held on 2015, when Communist Party of India (Marxist) won 23 seats, All India Trinamool Congress won 17 seats, Indian National Congress won 5 seats, Bharatiya Janata Party won 2 seats, while an independent candidate won 1 seat. The mayor of Siliguri for
2838-488: The elections and its chairman filed a case in the Kolkata High Court challenging the GTA. The CPI(M) withdrew the nominations of all its 13 candidates from the GTA elections, alleging threats and intimidation by the GJM and the GJM received 28 seats of the GTA uncontested. In the elections of the remaining 17 seats of the GTA held on 29 July 2012, GJM candidates won from all the constituencies. Sanchabir Subba,
2904-470: The five-year term from 2015 till 2020 was Ashok Bhattacharya from CPI(M) , who was later elected as the local Member of Legislative Assembly as well. The term of the last elected body of Siliguri Municipal Corporation ended on 7 May 2020 but municipal elections could not be held because of the COVID-19 pandemic . A Board of Administrators was established with the outgoing mayor, Ashok Bhattacharya, as
2970-442: The hottest month, August, is 27.1 °C. The temperature in peak summer sometimes exceeds 38 °C. On the other hand, the winter maximum temperature hovers around 20-25 °C, and the minimum drops 6-9 °C. January is the coldest month with an average temperature of 16.4 °C. The minimum temperature in winter season sometimes drops 5 °C or below. The highest temperature ever recorded in Siliguri is 41.9 °C, recorded on 7 June 2023, while
3036-480: The important sports enthusiast local clubs in Siliguri organise several cricket, football, volleyball, swimming competition, table-tennis matches etc. Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Kanchenjunga Stadium conducts football and athletics. With the provision for an international outdoor and indoor stadium, Siliguri has enough opportunities to host national level matches. This has led Siliguri become
3102-576: The lower slopes of Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary contains Sal , Khair , Simul , Sissoo , Riverine grasslands and various rare species of plants like Orchids 2) East Himalayan Upper Bhabar Sal, mainly present at Jalpaiguri district which is characterised by a dense population of Microstegium chiliatum, Sal . Others are Terminalia tomentosa and Schima wallichii . 3) Eastern Tarai Sal Forest, generally found in lower altitudes compared to other two types of forest. This type of forest characterised by various species of bamboos , ferns , and Sal which
3168-494: The lowest was recorded on 8 January 2018, when the mercury plummeted to 1.9 °C. Rainfall and other conditions On an average, Siliguri gets above 3000 mm per year. Winters are mostly dry, with the summers being rainy. About 80% of the annual rainfall is felt between June and September, this period is known as monsoons or rainy season in the season cycle. Heavy showers are often felt in May, June, July, August and September. July
3234-793: The most important railway station in Northeast India. Due to tremendous growth, Siliguri is now far away from its past outlook, becoming the largest and fastest growing city in eastern India after Guwahati . The growth rate of Siliguri was 57.8% during 1971- 1981. Considering this growth, Siliguri came under the Integrated Urban Development Project program in 1981. Siliguri population growth rate rose to 46.8% of 1981–1991. A treaty between India and China for trade through Nathu La Pass , has expedited development and prospects of Siliguri as an international transportation and logistics hub. Later in 1994 Siliguri built
3300-536: The oath of office to Anit Thapa as the Chief Executive of GTA. The five members of the GTA Sabha nominated by the West Bengal government took oath on 25 August 2022. Two Hamro Party councillors of the GTA joined Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha on 5 November 2022. Binoy Tamang, who had won the GTA election on a TMC ticket but had left that party afterwards, joined Congress on 26 November 2023. He
3366-476: The population in the Municipal corporation area is 5,13,264. Males constitute 51.44% of the population and females 48.55%. Population shares of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe category persons in Siliguri municipal area are 8.84% and 1.25% respectively. The literacy rate in Siliguri is 77.64%. There are 154 notified and 31 non-notified slums in Siliguri, where 32% of Siliguri's population lives. Bengali
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#17327724375103432-486: The rebel Gorkha Janmukti Morcha candidate from Gitdabling-Nimbong, narrowly lost to the party's official contestant Kalyan Dewan by 677 votes. The newly elected members of the GTA were sworn in on 4 August 2012 at Darjeeling in the presence of home minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee . In 2017, there was another agitation for Gorkhaland in the Darjeeling hills. The GTA councillors belonging to GJM resigned and burnt copies of
3498-638: The seat. The last elections to the West Bengal Vidhan Sabha took place in 2021 . The Member of Legislative Assembly representing Siliguri Vidhan Sabha Constituency is Sankar Ghosh . Building plans in Siliguri are approved by Siliguri Municipal corporation; for building up to 3 storeys including parking, the Borough Offices give clearance, while for buildings with more than 3 storeys, the Building Department gives
3564-508: The second GTA Sabha would be held on 26 June 2022. A total of 277 candidates, including 45 from Hamro Party , 36 from Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha , 12 from CPIM , 10 from Trinamool Congress , 5 from Congress and 169 independents , contested the GTA election. All elected members of the GTA Sabha took oath on 12 July 2022 in Darjeeling in a function that was attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee . On 14 July 2022, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar administered
3630-488: The state government and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha – to file affidavits stating their stand on Ghisingh's contention. The West Bengal government announced that the election for the GTA would be held on 29 July 2012. The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha announced that it would contest the GTA polls, which it had earlier threatened to boycott over the Justice Sen-headed committee recommendations on territorial inclusion of
3696-632: The state government. After the amendment of the act in 1956, 3/4 of the local representatives were elected, while the remaining nominated by the Deputy Commissioner. The first elected chairperson of Siliguri was Jagdish Chandra Bhattacharya. In 1994, the municipal council was upgraded to the Siliguri Municipal Corporation with 47 wards. It had five departments then: General Administration, Collection, License, Public Works and Sanitation and Public Health. As of now,
3762-500: The states willing to use their services. Anyishi Youth Association (ANYA) claimed that there were scams involved the CM under Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) scheme. As in April 2015, only 910 villages were yet to be electrified, which account for 5% of India's un-electrified villages excluding some uninhabited villages but around 35 million households i.e., approximately 11% of
3828-549: The total rural households were yet to be electrified. Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Opposition (9) Other (5) The Gorkhaland Territorial Administration is a semi-autonomous council for the Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts of West Bengal state in India . The GTA was formed in 2012 to replace the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council , which was formed in 1988 and administered
3894-539: The ward level. The Public Works Department of the corporation and Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority are both responsible for the construction and maintenance of roads in Siliguri. Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority also prepared the Traffic & Transportation Master Plan 2030 and the Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Siliguri Jalpaiguri Planning Area. Siliguri and surrounding
3960-492: The west by the country of Nepal , thus strategically so important. Siliguri falls under the humid subtropical climate ( Cwa ), when using the Köppen climate classification . Warm summers, cooler winters and a severe monsoon defines Siliguri's climate. Temperature The average annual temperature in Siliguri is 23.2 °C. In summer, the temperature varies from a minimum of 20-24 °C to a maximum of 30-35 °C. The temperature of
4026-482: Was appointed the new GTA chairman. Before the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly election , the West Bengal government dissolved the Anit Thapa-led GTA Board of Administrators and handed over the administration of GTA to the GTA principal secretary. After running the GTA with government-appointed administrators for 5 years (2017–2022), the West Bengal government announced that the election for
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#17327724375104092-524: Was captured by the Kingdom of Nepal in 1788, after which Kirati and Nepali Lepchas came to settle in this region. At that time a river port on Mahananda , South of Siliguri in Phansidewa had an important role in having trade bond with Malda , Bengal and Bihar . This riverine trade line was thus used by the Bhutanese and Sikkimese to bring goods into their mainland. Siliguri started as
4158-642: Was divided into West Bengal and East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) in 1947, with Sikkim later merging with India in 1975. At this point many immigrants came to settle here for better infrastructure, which led to an increased population. Later in 1950 Siliguri achieved municipal status. Keeping in mind the importance of Siliguri, in 1951, the Assam rail link was established with newly made (1949) Meter gauge Siliguri Junction railway station . After few years in 1961 all these stations were connected with broad gauge New Jalpaiguri Junction railway station which later became
4224-489: Was expelled from Congress on 23 April 2024. Siliguri Siliguri ( / s ɪ ˈ l i ˌ ɡ ʊ r i / Bengali: [ˈʃiliɡuɽi] ), also known as Shiliguri , is a major tier-II city in West Bengal . It forms "Twin Cities" with the neighbouring district headquarter of Jalpaiguri . The city spans areas of the Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts in the Indian state of West Bengal. Known as
4290-614: Was reflected in its local governance as well. The earliest form of local urban governance was a Sanitation Committee set up in 1915. Its function was to dispose off night soil. Till 1921, most aspects of local governance in Darjeeling district, including Siliguri, was looked after by the Darjeeling Improvement Fund. In 1922, Siliguri Local Board with nominated members was created under the Bengal Local Self Government Act, 1885. In 1938,
4356-499: Was signed by West Bengal Home Secretary G.D. Gautama, Union Home Ministry Joint Secretary K.K. Pathak and Gorkha Janmukti Morcha general secretary Roshan Giri. On 29 October 2011, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad (ABAVP), Dooars Unit signed an 18-point agreement at Mongpoo, after which these organizations jointly proposed a new administrative body called
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