Minister of urban development and municipal affairs Firhad Hakim convened a meeting with officials from the Siliguri Municipal Corporation today. He emphasized the need for further development of Siliguri in order to transform it into a model city.
According to Mr. Hakim, who is also the mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, chief minister Mamata Banerjee has been the driving force for rapid development in this region, as north Bengal holds a special place in her heart.
Siliguri used to be a poorly developed town in the past, but since 2011, significant progress has been made. Despite having a former urban development minister from Siliguri, the town has been falling behind for the past 50 years, Mr. Hakim claimed today.
The minister conducted a review meeting yesterday with his party leaders to discuss the Lok Sabha poll results. After the meeting, Mr. Hakim concluded that party members require training to effectively communicate the message of development and progress to the public.
Following an extensive investigation in the past few days in this area, Mr. Hakim was surprised by the election outcome and reached the conclusion that his party’s supporters were unsuccessful in gaining votes for their candidates. This was despite the chief minister’s immense popularity among the people, who hold her in high regard.