West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated the ‘Saras Mela’ at Darjeeling crossroads on Tuesday. According to sources from Navanna, the fair was officially opened at 3 PM.
As part of her two-day visit to the hills, the Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone for several new development projects. She is scheduled to return to Kolkata via Siliguri on Thursday. On Friday, November 15, she will attend a special event at Adivasi Bhavan in Rajarhat to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of tribal leader Birsa Munda.
In a significant administrative move, Mamata Banerjee announced the formation of a new supervisory committee to oversee the activities of the hill development boards. The committee will be chaired by Anit Thapa, the chief of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), with Mirik Municipality Mayor Lal Bahadur Rai serving as vice chairman. Additionally, the district magistrates of Darjeeling and Kalimpong will be part of the committee.
Responding to complaints about delays and irregularities in hill development projects, the Chief Minister held an emergency meeting with GTA representatives and members of 17 development councils at Richmond Hill, Darjeeling. Following the meeting, she announced the reconstitution of these councils to improve administrative efficiency and expedite development work in the region.
Banerjee emphasized the need for streamlined governance to ensure faster and more effective implementation of projects, reaffirming her commitment to the development of the hill areas.
