West Bengal Assembly Polls: Alipurduar residents seek jobs, healthcare and tea garden development

As West Bengal gears up for Assembly elections later this year, residents of Alipurduar district are once again raising concerns over development gaps, employment shortages and inadequate public facilities.

Alipurduar, which was carved out of Jalpaiguri district in 2014, lies in the Dooars region and shares a border with Bhutan. The district is dominated by vast tea gardens that sustain a large section of the population and form the economic backbone of the region.

Despite this, locals say the tea sector has seen little progress over the years.

According to local resident Shyamal Bhattacharjee, "Alipurduar is primarily a tea garden area. But the tea gardens here are not very developed. Political parties come, hold meetings, make promises, and then they disappear. We hope that the next government will actually work to develop the tea gardens"

Aside from the tea industry, residents point to rising unemployment and a lack of basic healthcare and education infrastructure as ongoing issues.

Meanwhile, Manu Nandi, another local resident, says, "There are no medical facilities or colleges here, and such facilities should be provided. Governments comes, make promises, but don't fulfill them, and after elections, they don't even come back."

When asked about the hospital facilites, Amal Sarkar, another local resident, said, "There should be more employment opportunities and industries here.

There should be a medical college, and improved education facilities should be provided."

Alipurduar, which has five Assembly seats, has emerged as a key focus area heading into the elections. As election season approaches, locals say they prefer action over assurances.

Elections to the 294-member West Bengal Assembly are scheduled to take place before May of this year.