The state government has sanctioned around Rs 2 crore to the local civic body in Alipurduar to repair roads in the town.
Over the past couple of months, most roads in the 20 wards of Alipurduar town are dilapidated. The bitumen cover has peeled off at a number of stretches. Some other stretches are dotted with potholes. Minor accidents occur every day, residents said.
“The situation is such that a number of Trinamul councillors have said they can't face voters who question them on road repairs. It is good that the state has given some funds for repairs,” said a source in the Trinamul-run Alipurduar municipality.
At a recent meeting of the municipal board, Shantanu Debnath, the lone Congress councillor, had warned that if repair works didn’t start soon, he would lock the main gate of the municipality.
On Monday, civic chairman Prasenjit Kar said they received the funds. “We floated tenders of Rs 1 crore for repairing a number of roads in the town. In fact, from today (Monday), work has begun along a 350-metre-long stretch of Bux Feeder Road. Soon, tenders will be floated for the remaining sum,” he said.
Pulak Majumder, a senior resident of the town, said the roads had never been so bad in Alipurduar as they were at present.
“We have excellent highways, including the Asian Highway, in our district. But at the district headquarters, the contrast is stark. The roads are really bad. The municipality should repair them promptly,” he said.
Congress councillor Debnath said he would wait and watch.
“We want to see if all damaged stretches are repaired. Or else, we will launch a movement against the Trinamul board that runs the civic body,” he said.