Ahead of the Gangasagar Mela, chief minister Mamata Banerjee today cautioned against people who might try to create unrest or sabotage the mela and directed the police to be vigilant. Also, Miss Banerjee announced the setting up an expert team headed by the state health secretary to monitor the Covid situation amid a sudden spurt in Covid cases in China and a few other countries including Japan, South Korea, Brazil and the US. Earlier, the Ministry of Health had sounded an alert and asked states to track positive samples.Miss Banerjee will visit the mela venue sometime later to check the ground situation on her own.

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“There’ll be people who might try to play spoilsport… See to it that nobody enters the mela with arms… people may have plans to sabotage the event, sparking riots. We must spoil their plans… There should be strict measures to stop such unwanted entries. The CCTVs should also be scanned properly,” she said at Nabanna while taking stock of the preparedness for Gangasagar Mela that is expected to witness a huge turnout. “A 300-bed hospital is being set up particularly for the pilgrims. Health infrastructure has also been geared up in surrounding areas such as Sagar, Namkhana, Lot-8 and Chemaguri. Facilities with ICU have also been set up,” said Miss Banerjee adding that one air-ambulance, four waterambulances and 100 ambulances would be kept on standby to shift critically ill patients through green corridors.

She urged the Indian Railways to increase the frequency of trains in Howrah, Sealdah and Namkhana divisions in order to address the huge rush of pilgrims. Around 2250 government and 500 private buses will be run to ensure hassle-free commutation. There will be 4 barges, 32 vessels and 100 launch services for transportation of the pilgrims to the mela venue. There will be adequate measures for preventing untoward incidents like stampedes with 1150 CCTVs in the mela premises. Stressing that the state administration was taking all necessary steps to ensure success of the mela, Miss Banerjee urged central government offices, the railways, the Army, the Navy and the NDRF to extend necessary assistance to the state for the event.

The Gangasagar Mela will be organised from 8 to 17 January on Sagar Island. The time for the holy dip is scheduled at 6.53 pm on 14 January till the same time the next day (15 January). Miss Banerjee said that the state is taking requisite measures for the safety of all pilgrims and asked several senior ministers and top police officers to visit the island and review the arrangements from time to time during the nineday long fair. Meanwhile, she asked all her cabinet ministers to be present at the state Assembly during the budget session which is scheduled to start from 6 February. Banerjee during the Cabinet meeting at Nabanna directed all her ministers to come properly briefed about the developments in his / her department and ensure that they do not remain preoccupied with any other work.

Governor C.V Ananda Bose will deliver his first address at the state Assembly on the first day of this year’s budget session. Meanwhile the chief minister Mamata Banerjee today announced the commencement of disbursement of financial assistance under the Krishak Bandhu (New) scheme directly into the bank accounts of farmers for the Rabi season.