To give a boost to pilgrimage tourism a boost, chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced her government’s decision to set up the Gangasagar tourism project. “I have asked the land department to hand over 10 acres to the tourism department for the project which will comprise Gangasagar pilgrimage centre, shopping complex, hotels and other infrastructure,” she added.
Ms Banerjee was speaking at Gangasagar Mela Maidan on the second and concluding day of her visit to South 24 Parganas.
She said that although after the Kumbh Mela, the Gangasagar Mela attracted the largest turnout of devotees in the country, the previous government took no initiative for its development. “When I had come to this island to attend a political conference five-six years ago, I found it in a state of neglect. I had then thought that if I ever got a chance, I would give it a makeover,” she added.
Ms Banerjee then went on to claim that the effect of paribortan was evident at Gangasagar on Friday. “The jetty has been upgraded, the roads have been broadened and the electricity has come to every block. Earlier power used to come for barely an hour and now there is power all through,” she added.
A few months back, Ms Banerjee had also initiated an ambitious project to promote tourism in the neighbouring Sundarbans. To make the Sundarbans an international tourist destination, 200 acres have been identified in Baghkhali. Since she came to power, Ms Banerjee has been consistently stressing the need to bring Bengal on the tourism map of India.
On Friday, she also inaugurated the renovated Kapilmuni Ashram at Gangasagar. The chief minister also distributed pattas of land, scholarships among students and cycles to girl students. She said that her government was looking for land to set up a university in South 24 Parganas district.