A ₹196.97-crore drinking water project sanctioned under the Union government’s AMRUT 2.0 scheme has become the latest flashpoint in the ongoing political contest in the Darjeeling hills. The foundation stone for the project was laid on Monday by the Kalimpong municipality, an event attended by Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA) chief executive Anit Thapa.
Under the scheme, water will be pumped from the Bhalu Khola, a tributary of the Teesta, and distributed across all 23 wards of Kalimpong. The project is funded through a tripartite model: 50 percent from the Centre, 45 percent from the Bengal government and 5 percent from the municipality. The work is expected to be completed within 30 months.
Thapa praised the municipality’s board of administrators chairman, Rabi Pradhan, crediting him for driving the project forward. “It was proved today that I was right in choosing Rabi Pradhan as the leader of the municipality,” Thapa said, adding that the scheme would significantly improve water accessibility in the hill town.
However, the launch also triggered a political countercharge from Darjeeling BJP MP Raju Bista, who acknowledged the Centre’s support for development in north Bengal but criticised the administrative structure of hill civic bodies. Bista argued that Kalimpong, Kurseong and Mirik municipalities have been run by unelected, state-appointed administrators for over three years, calling the arrangement undemocratic and unconstitutional.
“This practice goes against the democratic ethos of our nation,” Bista said in a written statement. He asserted that a future BJP-led government in Bengal would ensure timely elections to all municipalities and panchayats in the region.
Meanwhile, observers highlighted that political leaders across parties have remained silent about the long-delayed ₹200-crore AMRUT water project sanctioned for Darjeeling in 2016. Despite repeated assurances and multiple extensions, the project remains incomplete nearly a decade later. “Ultimately, the fact is that the Darjeeling project has not been completed for almost 10 years,” an observer noted.
As Kalimpong moves ahead with its new water infrastructure initiative, residents hope the project avoids the bureaucratic hurdles and political tug-of-war that have hindered previous development efforts in the hills.
