Five north Bengal towns to be developed as Himalayan Hill cities

The Centre has proposed to develop five cities in the northern part of the West Bengal as Himalayan hill cities. The state Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul gave this information on Sunday. She said,"Union Minister Manohar Lal has proposed that these five cities will be developed as the Himalayan hill cities," Paul told reporters at Uttarkanya in north Bengal. The five cities, identified for the proposed initiative, are Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong, Mirik and Siliguri.Paul said the state government is committed to ensuring inclusive development across all regions of the state, and thanked the central minister for his "vision, mission and passion" for accelerating development activities.

Today, Hon'ble Minister Ms. @paulagnimitra1 ji, shared that the Hon'ble Union Urban Development Minister Sh. @mlkhattar ji has proposed for five cities to be developed as Himalayan Hill City - Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong, Mirik and Siliguri.

These five cities will be… pic.twitter.com/YLYKFbf3Fo

— Raju Bista (@RajuBistaBJP) June 7, 2026

Darjeeling MP Raju Bista said the state government is looking forward to working closely with the Centre to ensure rapid development of the hills, Terai and Dooars regions. "We welcome this major announcement for our region, and will work with the Centre and the state government to ensure fast development of our Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars region," he said.
Earlier, She chaired a review meeting at Uttarkanya with Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, MLAs, district officials and public representatives from Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts. During the meeting, Paul said strict measures would be taken to improve infrastructure, cleanliness, parking facilities and traffic management. She also said a probe would be initiated into alleged irregularities in the collection of parking fees by the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC).