Bengal govt to allocate 1.6 mn houses under state scheme by 2026 mid-Jan

The West Bengal government announced that 16,36,522 more houses would be allocated to beneficiaries under the 'Banglar Bari' housing scheme by the middle of January next year.

Announcing this after a cabinet meeting on Monday, senior minister Chandrima Bhattacharya accused the central government of depriving the state of funding for the scheme.

"To date, 12 lakh houses have already been handed over under the 'Banglar Bari' scheme despite the Centre depriving the state government. We will hand over 16,36,522 houses to those who deserve to get them by mid-January," she said.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet gave its nod to a significant expansion of industrial infrastructure under the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation Limited (WBIDC) to boost employment opportunities, Bhattacharya said.

"New plots will be allocated for seven new industrial parks across the state. They will be set up in Coochbehar (2 plots), Kalyani (1), Uluberia (1), Bishnupur (1) and Falta (2)," the minister said.

Alongside housing and industrial initiatives, the state has been developing road infrastructure, she said.

"Under the 'Pathasree Grameen' scheme, the government has constructed 9,000 roads with a total length of 15,011 km. On the other hand, 11,365 roads were constructed under 'Pathasree Urban' initiative, and their total length is 5,019 km," the minister said.