Siliguri, North Bengal, is one of the fastest growing cities in India. It is located at the top of the “chicken neck” in northern Bengal just a few kilometres south of Darjeeling in the foothills of the Himalayas. However, due to inadequate economic development as well as high influx of refugees from the adjacent countries of Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh as well as from the northern Indian state of Sikkim, nearly two million people in Siliguri and the surrounding area live below poverty level in slum settlements without running water or proper housing. Poverty among women is especially high. They are deprived of even the most basic necessities of life. Indigenous people are particularly affected, with scores of thousands eating one meal daily or less. In addition there is the scourge of AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and human trafficking. Medical care for the poor is primitive at best. |
