Revitalizing Siliguri's Waterways: Minister Partha Bhowmik Leads Effort to Clean Fuleswari and Jorapani Rivers

Partha Bhowmik, the minister of irrigation for Bengal, visited the Fuleswari and Jorapani rivers on Wednesday with Siliguri mayor Gautam Deb and his deputy Ranjan Sarkar. This came after the state government decided to take the lead in revitalizing the two rivers that run through the city.

The people of Siliguri have long called for the revitalization of the Fuleswari and the Jorapani rivers. We have had a detailed discussion on how to complete the assignment in a meeting with the mayor," Bhowmik told reporters after the visit.

There is trash all over the rivulets. Both of the streams are restricted by encroachments and silt deposits.

The board demanded last year that the irrigation department and state minister Mamata Banerjee revitalize the streams after the Trinamul Congress took over the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC). The SMC administrators had said that the municipal body lacked the necessary infrastructure to complete the task.

"The Siliguri people's demand is now being fulfilled by the chief minister." We anticipate some good results from the initiative to clean the rivulets by the end of this year," the minister said.

The mayor expressed gratitude to the administration as he inspected many locations where the rivulets run.

These days, pollution in certain parts of Siliguri is mostly caused by both streams. The streams were almost at the end of their life due to the sudden dumping of debris, the encroachment of enormous silts over their embankments, and other factors. To stop trash from being thrown, the department will de-silt the bridges that were built over the rivulets and cover them with netting on both sides, according to Deb.

He noted that the local council has also identified locations where silt has to be removed from rivulets' beds.

"To prevent contamination, we want to preserve rivulets and allow them to run freely. Later on, Deb said, "We also want to make some of the embankments more attractive.

A source claims that the municipal body and the irrigation department would work together to implement similar initiatives for the sections of the Maheshmari, Panchanoi, and Sahu, three other streams that enter and exit Siliguri.

According to an SMC source, "these streams are also in similar conditions and need to be rejuvenated."