The central government has approved drinking water projects for the civic areas of Kalimpong and Mirik under the second edition of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT).

Hardeep Singh Puri, the Union minister for housing, urban affairs and petroleum and natural gas, has sent a letter to Raju Bista, the BJP MP of Darjeeling, saying that Centre has approved a Rs 199-crore drinking water supply scheme for Mirik and a similar project of Rs 196.57 crore for Kalimpong.

“I am happy to share that I have received a letter from the minister where he has mentioned that the central government has approved these drinking water projects. It was a longstanding demand of residents of both towns. I have also requested him to approve a similar scheme for Kurseong town,” Bista said.

In August this year, Bista had requested Puri to take steps so that people in hills and the Terai and the Dooars get proper drinking water supply.

In Kalimpong — a town with 23 municipal wards and 80,000-odd residents — the sole source of water is Bagdhara, a hilly stream. In Mirik, a tiny hill town with nine wards and a population of around 50,000, people have to depend on nearby streams or buy packaged water.

Sources said as per the guidelines of the Amrut 2.0 scheme, the state will have to bear around half of the cost. For Mirik, the Centre will pay Rs 93.53 crore, and for Kalimpong, Rs 92.39 crore.

“The Union minister has mentioned that they have passed the information to the state government. He has also stated that the centre will send its contribution to the civic bodies. Now the state will have to act and allocate funds to implement these projects,” said a source.