Kolkata:

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday claimed that Gangasagar Mela is “bigger than Kumbh Mela” and thus the Centre should accord national fair status to it.

She said that the Centre provides thousands of crores of rupees for holding the Kumbh Mela, but the West Bengal government has to make all provisions for the annual Gangasagar Mela, held at Kapil Muni temple at the confluence of river Ganga and the Bay of Bengal on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

“We have been trying to get the national fair status for the Gangasagar Mela in vain for the last 10 years,” Mamata Banerjee said after inaugurating the fair from Outram Ghat transit point on the bank of river Ganga (Hooghly) here.

“This is no less than Kumbh Mela, but is bigger than that,” she said adding that announcements will be made at the fair site in various languages for pilgrims coming from all corners of the country.

She said that it is easy to reach Kumbh Mela by road, air and train, but it is very difficult to go to Sagar Island, which is situated around 130 km from Kolkata, since the pilgrims have to cross a river by ferry on the way.

“If you see from the angle of difficulty in transit, Gangasagar Mela is much tougher than Kumbh Mela,” she said.

She said that one has to cross river Muriganga and then travel by road again for 30 kms.

Mamata Banerjee said that 32 vessels and 100 motor launches have been arranged for the pilgrims to cross the river, which will run for 20 hours a day.

The CM said that around 4,000 to 5,000 buses come from different places across the country with pilgrims.

She said that several NGOs and other institutions, apart from the police and administration, work in tandem to ensure safe and smooth pilgrimage during the fair from January 9 to January 17.

Mamata Banerjee said that her government abolished the pilgrimage tax, which used to be levied earlier, for the Gangasagar Mela.

She said that to facilitate the pilgrims to avoid any language-related barriers as they come from various corners of the country, the state government has arranged for volunteers to accompany each bus travelling to and from Gangasagar.

“Our government has arranged for an insurance cover of Rs five lakh for everyone visiting Gangasagar Mela from January 9 to 17,” Mamata Banerjee said.

The CM said that extensive medical facilities have been made for the pilgrims with a 550-bed hospital, air ambulance, water ambulance and other infrastructure.

The CM said that her government has been urging the central government for the last 10 years to construct a bridge over river Muriganga so that the fair site can be connected directly by road from Kolkata, but nothing has been done yet.

“So we have decided to construct the bridge on our own and have already allotted Rs 1,500 crore for the project,” she said.

Mamata Banerjee said that a detailed project report (DPR) has been completed and the tendering process for the project has also been done.

“It will take two to three years to complete the construction of the five-km long four-lane bridge,” she said.

Assuring devotees all amenities for a hassle-free pilgrimage, Mamata Banerjee said that the pilgrims are guests of the state and should always feel at home during their stay here.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Sagar Island:

Asserting that over one crore pilgrims visit Gangasagar Mela each year, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday demanded that the Centre declare the religious congregation as a national fair.

She also accused the central government of not keeping its promise of building a bridge over a river connecting Sagar Island with the mainland.

“We have done everything for Gangasagar. The central government provides a fund worth several thousands of crores of rupees for the Kumbh Mela. Over a crore of people come to Gangasagar Mela each year. I have been repeatedly telling them to declare this as a national mela, but the request falls on deaf ears,” Ms Banerjee said.

She said that people can go to Kumbh Mela through several routes, but reaching Sagar Island for the Gangasagar Mela is a strenuous job.

Ms Banerjee alleged that the central government failed to keep up its promise to build a bridge to help pilgrims reach Sagar Island easily.

“We have been trying to connect this place with a bridge. I have once spoken to the central government. One minister had promised to build a bridge. I waited for three to four years and they did nothing.

“I have started believing that they (Centre) will never give us the funds. So what we will have to do is construct the bridge despite the financial crisis. We have already conducted a survey and tender floated,” she added.

It will take three to four years to complete the structure and the expense will be around Rs 1,500 crore, Ms Banerjee said.

“It will be a tough job. A hasty job may lead to the collapse of the bridge,” she said.

The chief minister said that her government has revamped infrastructure for Gangasagar Mela and built a helipad.

Meanwhile, Ms Banerjee requested a senior priest of the Kapil Muni Ashram to use the funds they receive to construct a concrete structure to stop the sea from advancing.

“The sea is approaching and from time to time it comes closer to the Kapil Muni temple. You get several funds for the ashram and you send them to UP. I will not interfere with that. But if you take some part from that fund and cover the surrounding area with concrete, then it could be a permanent solution,” she said.

The beach in front of Kapil Muni Temple has been witnessing erosion following a rise in the sea level.

“We do it as much as we can. We do not take any money from you. We spent a lot to conduct dredging, to build jetties, to set up hospitals, and arrange for transportation,” she said.

Banerjee said that she has directed Chief Secretary Manoj Pant to chalk out a plan to create separate sub-divisions for Gosaba and Patharpratima and another for Sandeshkhali and Hingalganj assembly constituencies.

“These are far-off places surrounded by water all around. These will definitely help the locals in getting their government jobs done with ease,” she said. PTI SCH NN

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)