Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday handed over land rights and dwelling units to over 1,000 people and inaugurated and launched a slew of infrastructure projects worth around Rs 330 crore in Jalpaiguri district.

While attending a public service distribution programme at Uttarkanya here, Mamata handed over dwelling units (flats) to 422 persons from economically weaker sections, at Utsadhara. This township has come up in Kawakhali in the southern part of Siliguri.

“We also handed over land rights to 500 tea garden workers and ‘pattas (secured land tenures)' to 102 persons who live in refugee colonies. We have provided land rights to around 25,000 tea workers so far and Rs 1.2 lakh to each for the construction of houses. Moreover, we are regularising all refugee colonies across the state,” said the chief minister.

The distribution of the land rights to tea garden workers is being considered a major move by the Trinamul Congress which can swing the results of the upcoming Parliament elections.

In north Bengal, tea garden workers and their families determine the results of Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling Lok Sabha seats. In 2019, the BJP had won all the three seats and this time, Trinamul is determined to wrest them.

At the government event, Mamata also inaugurated new projects and laid the foundation stones for some more projects.

“We have decided to upgrade the tourism infrastructure at Bhorer Alo (the mega tourism hub which has come up at Gajoldoba in Jalpaiguri district) and sanctioned Rs 51 crore for it,” said the chief minister.

Some other projects which she mentioned on Wednesday include the construction of boys’ and girls’ hostels on the Jalpaiguri campus of the North Bengal University at an expenditure of Rs 17 crore and a 100-bed unit at Mainaguri rural hospital at Rs 10.66 crore, and the introduction of telemedicine facilities at 84 sub-health centres in the district.

Also, Rs 70.69 crore will be spent on the construction of two 100-bed critical care units in Jalpaiguri District Hospital and Jalpaiguri Medical College and Hospital.

In north Bengal, the BJP is under pressure because of the non-fulfilment of some of the key demands of communities like Gorkhas and Rajbanshis. They include demands like a permanent political solution for the hills, Scheduled Tribe status for 11 communities and the inclusion of the Rajbanshi language in the eighth schedule of the Indian Constitution.

In such a situation, the BJP is playing the infrastructure card to counter its political opponents. BJP leaders are underscoring the projects taken up for the improvement of connectivity and the introduction of new trains.

“That is why, to counter the BJP, Trinamul has taken the strategy to play the development card by coming up with new infrastructure projects. Trinamul is also meeting longstanding demands like granting land rights to tea workers,” said an observer.