Security has been beefed up, around 500 labourers have almost finished erecting bamboo and eucalyptus wood barricades on roadsides, municipality water supply tanks have been pressed into service to clean the roads and shopkeepers have received strict warning against displaying their wares on the sidewalks.

Raiganj town is ready to receive Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday for the very first time after she became the chief minister. According to political sources, Raiganj Municipality was earlier under the Congress party, and as such the CM always skipped the town. “However, the Trinamul Congress captured the civic body around nine months ago, and Miss Banerjee has desired to visit Raiganj town this time around,” sources said.

Miss Banerjee is scheduled to hold an administrative meeting at Rabindra Bhaban in Raiganj near the railway station. She will meet administrative officials of both North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur districts at 4 PM on 21 February. The next day, she is scheduled to hold a public meeting on the premises of the Hemtabad police station in the district.

As part of security arrangements for the CM’s visit, the roadsides on a 5km stretch from Karnajora to Rabindra Bhawan are being barricaded by wood and bamboo poles. More than 500 labourers are allegedly working to dig the roadsides to fix bamboo poles for the barricade, while damaging the roads in the process.

“Several eucalyptus trees have been felled for wood to be used in erecting the barricades on the roads, and the Raiganj municipality has started watering the road for the past three days, and traders in the town have been strictly asked not to display their wares outside their shops during the visit of the CM,” sources said. “Both the district administration and the Raiganj municipality have made all the arrangements to make the visit of the CM successful,’ the Chairman of the Raiganj municipality, Sandip Biswas, said.

Meanwhile, in Malda, security has gone up as the CM begins her north Bengal tour from the district tomorrow. Miss Banerjee is likely to land in Malda from Baharampur in Murshidabad in a helicopter. Every nook and corner of the roads Ms Banerjee is likely to pass by is under strict vigil of police personnel and CCTV cameras.

However, the exact place of her stay in Malda is yet to be disclosed for security reasons. “however, every government rest house has been kept ready by the district administration for probable boarding of the CM, and officials and leaders of the ruling party are on their toes. The team looking after the security of the chief minister has already scrutinized the probable places of her visit,” sources said.

According to sources, Ms Banerjee will be holding an administrative meeting at Durgakinkar Sadan under the English Bazaar police station, while she is scheduled to address a public meeting at the DSA ground. According to administrative sources, Ms Banerjee is going to inaugurate projects worth Rs 110 crore for Malda, some which are already completed, while others will be flagged off.

These include the Yuba Abas and English Medium Madrasah at English Bazaar, a few godowns for regulated market committees, drinking water project of Chanchal and ITI at Habibpur. However, for political observers here, the opening of the two mother-child hubs at Kaliachak and Sujapur will be the most important ones. “Madam is very unpredictable and we have to be ready with all probable question- answers regarding the development of the district. Only she knows what will happen there,” a high-ranking official of the district administration said.