The real estate sector in and around Siliguri has been experiencing a boom for the past few years and projects worth around Rs 3,000 crore are underway in the region, said stakeholders of the industry here on Thursday.
“As of now, a number of construction projects are in progress in Siliguri and the surrounding areas. The total investments in these projects are around Rs 3,000 crore. This is clearly an indication of the growth of the real estate sector here,” said Naresh Agarwal, president, Credai (Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India), north Bengal.
He was speaking on Thursday at the inauguration of “Createch Prachurya-2023,” a four-day conclave that has been organised by the Siliguri Engineers’ & Architects’ Association.
In north Bengal, real estate has emerged as a major sector for employment, along with tourism and tea.
“At least three lakh people are directly employed in this sector. Also, let us mention that there are 52 different industrial segments that are dependent on the real estate industry. All those associated with these sectors also make a living out of this industry here,” Agarwal added.
The conclave, which will conclude on May 14, is the first-of-its-kind initiative taken here by the engineer and architect fraternity of the city. During the four days, the organisers have lined up a number of technical sessions and seminars where discussions will be held on a series of issues pertaining to the real estate industry.
Ranjan Sarkar, deputy mayor of the Trinamul Congress-run Siliguri Municipal Corporation, was present at the event. He said the SMC had tried to simplify various norms to facilitate the growth of the realty.
“Around a year ago, we (Trinamul) assumed the charge of the civic board for the first time. Since then, we have been trying to simplify the norms and clear deterrents to the growth of this sector. We have introduced the facility of online approval of building plans...," he said.
The civic board, Sarkar pointed out, has also taken the task of improving conservancy services and is working on augmentation of the water supply in the city.
