Siliguri Gasps for Air, Mayor Blames Forest Fires

SMC is modernising waste management, enhancing security, restricting dry waste disposal, installing sprinklers, and promoting afforestation with tax rebates

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

Every spring Siliguri city finds itself shrouded in smoke at night as dry leaves ignite forest fires in the Baikunthpur and Gazoldoba areas. However, a section of people blame the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC), citing occasional fires at its dumping ground.

Addressing the issue, Mayor Goutam Deb today clarified that the dense smoke engulfing the city originates from forest fires, not the SMC dumping ground. "The smoke from burning dry leaves in forests affects people's eyes because it is carried into the city by winds from the north. On the other hand, smoke from the dumping ground does not cause such irritation," he claimed.

The mayor accused certain groups of deliberately misleading the public. "A section is desperately trying to blame us for the smoke. We have already spoken to the forest department, and officials are making efforts to control these fires, which occur naturally or accidentally," he stated.