People await Mamata's speech on Martyrs' Day

Kolkata: With only a day to go for the Martyrs' Day rally on Saturday, the countdown for the moment when Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee will address the gathering has begun.

According to political experts, the turnout of people at the rally is going to break all the previous records this time. This is the 25th year after the incident when 13 people were shot dead during a procession in 1993 in Kolkata, demanding voters' identity card to be made mandatory to cast votes. It is Angikar Divas for Trinamool Congress this year.

People are waiting eagerly to listen to the Trinamool supremo on Martyrs' Day, with the 2019 general election looming on the horizon.

Steps have already been taken to set up the dais. With all precautions in place, 400 iron structures, 450 iron rods and 400 wooden structures are being used for the dais.

The place will be under the coverage of surveillance cameras. There will be sufficient CCTV cameras to capture the movement taking place at each and every corner of the venue at Esplanade.

Partha Chatterjee, Secretary General of Trinamool Congress, said: "The Martyrs' Day rally will create a new history."

Giant screens will be installed on Chittaranjan Avenue and Jawaharlal Nehru Road, so that people at a distance can watch each and every moment of the meeting live.

Moreover, this is the first time when proceedings of the rally will be shown live on Facebook. As a result, people can watch it live from any part of the world.

Party workers, mainly from North Bengal, have already started pouring into the city and are staying at Milan Mela grounds and Uttirnya. Seven tents have been set up at Milan Mela grounds. There are medical camps at Milan Mela grounds as well. A separate zone has been created from where food is getting served to party workers staying there. There is also a police camp to ensure safety and security of the people staying there.

Tents have also been set up at Howrah and Sealdah stations, from where party workers are being provided necessary help to reach Milan Mela grounds or Uttirnya. There are medical camps at the stations as well.

The Trinamool Congress leadership has taken all necessary steps to ensure that party workers and people coming from far off places to attend the rally do not face any inconvenience. Steps will also be taken so that the party workers can return home safely after the rally on July 21.

Kolkata Police have also started taking steps to ensure that no untoward incident takes place during the rally. There will be restrictions on movement of goods vehicles on certain important thoroughfares in the city from Saturday morning.

There will be earmarked places where party workers from adjoining districts will be parking buses and other vehicles. Parking of vehicles will not be allowed on roads including Hospital Road, Cathedral Road, Casuarina Avenue and thoroughfares around Victoria Memorial Hall.