Raiganj Member of Parliament Kartik Chandra Paul met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in New Delhi to press for a new stretch of national highway in North Dinajpur district. He urged approval for a Bengal-to-Bengal link that would connect National Highways 12 and 27 to allow vehicles bound for Siliguri to avoid the current route through Kishanganj in neighbouring Bihar. He also submitted a proposed alignment of the new road to the ministry for consideration. At present vehicles from Raiganj travel along NH-12 and join NH-27 at Purnia More in Dalkhola, a route that passes through Kishanganj before re-entering West Bengal near Rampur in Goalpokhar block. Local commuters and transport operators reported that the Bihar stretch frequently experiences heavy traffic congestion and prolonged delays, particularly because of vehicle checks by the excise department. The MP argued that these interruptions increase travel time and disrupt trade and passenger movement between North and South Bengal. The situation is exacerbated at Purnia More where NH-12 merges with NH-27 and several roads from Bihar converge, creating severe bottlenecks. The proposed all-West Bengal alignment would bypass Kishanganj and the Purnia More junction, providing uninterrupted connectivity within the state. The MP said the scheme would reduce journey times and improve road safety across the corridor. He said that the new link would also ease pressure on the existing highways and improve reliability for freight movements. The MP expressed hope that the ministry would give favourable consideration to the project and said it would benefit passengers, traders and transport operators while strengthening road connectivity across West Bengal. He requested that the ministry examine the submitted alignment to determine feasibility and resource requirements. Officials at the ministry were not quoted in the release and no timeline for a decision was provided.