Bengal to get six new districts

The West Bengal cabinet on Friday ratified a proposal to create six new districts including Sundarbans - the world's largest mangrove forest.

Addressing the media at the state secretariat following a cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said the Darjeeling district in north Bengal will be bifurcated and a new district Kalimpong - now a sub-division - carved out of it.

The Sundarbans stretches currently across parts of the North and South 24 Parganas districts.

Further, the Basirhat district would be formed out of North 24 Parganas district.

The existing Burdwan district will be bifurcated into Burdwan (Industrial) and Burdwan (Rural) while Jhargram, now a police district under West Midnapore district, will become a full-fledged administrative district.

Banerjee also said Mirik block in Darjeeling district will be upgraded into a subdivision, while Jhalda and Manbazar blocks in Purulia district will also become subdivisions.

"It will take us at least six months to a year to create the new districts. We will have to get necessary court orders, infrastructure needs to be built as also funds have to be arranged. We will try to get them as soon as possible," she said.