NEW DELHI: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party led central government of giving support to Kumbh Mela but not for the Gangasagar Mela.
Gangasagar Mela will begin on January 9, is set to take its most technologically advanced form this year. While Kumbh Mela is all set to take place in Prayagraj from January 13.
Addressing the public in Gangasagar, South 24 Parganas, the West Bengal CM claimed that the Centre had not built a bridge till now so state government has invited tenders.
“The central government supports Kumbh Mela by giving thousands of crores of Rupees but they do not even look at Gangasagar. On one side of Gangasagar is Sundarban, on one side is forest, on one side is sea, temples and devotees, it is very amazing…” Banerjee said.
“People have to come to Gangasagar by water. For this, the central government had to build a bridge but they could not do so. Now the state government has invited tenders for building the bridge. After this, there will be a lot of convenience… We hope that all the devotees coming to Gangasagar have a pleasant journey. We have held meetings with all departments including police, PWD, PHE… We have also held coordination meetings so that the devotees do not face any problems …” she added.
For the Gangasagar Mela, a 6,000 sq ft mega control room will monitor the movement of pilgrims and vehicles in the area through more than 1,000 CCTV cameras and 25 drones. A total of 56 monitors will be manned by more than 100 staff. A gigantic monitor will stream the movement of vessels approaching Kachuberia from Lot 8, Kakdwip. The district administration has used technological support from Isro to monitor the movement of vessels and vehicles. Clicking on any vessel will provide information about it, including the number of passengers in transit and the driver’s phone number.
Keeping in mind the record 1.1 million crowd that turned up in 2024, the administration is keeping its arrangements ready. However, with the once-in-every-twelve-years Maha Kumbh Mela slated to be held in Prayagraj also, the turnout may not be higher than last year, say senior officials.
