Football fans, walking on Siliguri’s roads will now be a treat.

The Siliguri Municipal Corporation has decided to rename three thoroughfares in town after three iconic football clubs of Calcutta — Mohun Bagan Athletic Club, East Bengal Club and Mohammedan Sporting Club — taking into account their large fan base in north Bengal.

Ranjan Sarkar, the deputy mayor of the SMC, said the initiative was part of the SMC’s effort to promote sporting culture and infrastructure in Siliguri.

“We have decided to dedicate three roads to Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting, the three famous football teams of the country, given the fan base they enjoy in the region,” Sarkar added.

Sources said the civic body has already identified the areas which would be renamed but have not yet made the areas public as the proposal needs to be passed in the SMC board meeting. “After the formal approval, the areas will be disclosed to the public,” said a source.

(From left) The logos of Mohun Bagan Athletic Club, East Bengal Club and Mohammedan Sporting Club. The Telegraph

Siliguri has produced international sports personalities, including cricketer Wriddhiman Saha and two-time national table tennis champion Mantu Ghosh.

The decision to name thoroughfares after Bengal’s famous football clubs comes close on the heels of Mohun Bagan Day, which was recently celebrated at many places in the state on July 29.

On that day in 1911, the Calcutta-based club had created history by defeating the British regimental side East Yorkshire Regiment 2-1, to become the first all-Indian club to clinch the Indian Football Association (IFA) shield.

The SMC is also aiming to organise major national soccer matches in Siliguri.

“We are looking to revamp the stadium so that big-ticket matches like the Calcutta Derby and national level tournaments can be organised at the Kanchenjunga Stadium,” said Sarkar.

International tournaments such as the Nehru Cup have been held here earlier.

In 2021, the state sports and youth affairs department had taken charge of the stadium in 2021 but in June 2022, the department handed charge of its regular maintenance and infrastructural development to the SMC.

The stadium, established in1987 has a seating capacity of 27,000 and is spread over 7 acres. The stadium was once considered next to Calcutta’s Yuva Bharati Krirangan among football arenas in Bengal.