April 01, 2026 09:46 pm (IST)
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WB: 7 ministers to oversee Gangasagar Mela 2016
Kolkata, Jan 5 (IBNS): After a preparatory meeting at state's main administrative building-Nabanna-on Monday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has decided to depute seven cabinet ministers to Sagar Island in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas districts during the Gangasagar Mela, which will start from next Sunday (Jan 12).
Seven cabinet ministers including Subrata Mukherjee, Arup Biswas, Manish Gupta, Firhad Hakim, Rajib Banerjee, Giasuddin Mollah and Manturam Pakhira would oversee the whole management in Gangasagar Mela.
The Eastern Railway (ER) has decided to run special trains during the fair days.
"We have planned to run 7 galloping EMU Mela special trains on Sealdah-Lakshmikantapur-
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard, BSF and WB state police are ready to provide a tight security during the Gangasagar Mela, where the expected turnout is over 5 lakh people.
South 24 Parhanas District Magistrate P. B. Selim told IBNS, "A good management is our aim and worshipers' security is our main concern. We have planned to install at least 140 CCTV cameras at Sagar Island for a complete surveillance."
West Bengal government has also taken initiatives to make the Gangasagar Mela green and clean.
"Taking support from the UNICEF and World Bank, we have promised to make this year's Gangasagar Mela green and clean. We have banned any kind of plastic packet or goods at Sagar Island. Stretching from Outram Ghat in Kolkata to Sagar Island, we are setting up as many as 12000 new bio-toilets. Out of these 12000 toilets, 2000 will be mobile toilet. We will also host awareness campaigns before and during the Mela days," Selim further said.
This year state government has also launched a mobile application, which would provide Gangasagar Mela related information to the worshipers.
(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
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