Rs 5 lakh insurance cover for Ganga Sagar visitors: Mamata

Kolkata: Besides making all arrangements for safety and security of people visiting Ganga Sagar to take the holy dip at the confluence of River Ganges and Bay of Bengal, the state government has also decided to bring them under an insurance scheme of Rs 5 lakh each.

A high-level meeting held at Nabanna on Friday also discussed the preparations and other aspects that need to be maintained during the Ganga Sagar Mela that will be held from January 10 to 16 next year.

Ministers and senior officials of all the concerned departments along with officials from South 24-Parganas were also present in the meeting that was headed by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Ministers including state Panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee, state PWD minister Aroop Biswas, state Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim will be supervising the entire arrangement during the event in which lakhs of people turn up every year. A senior IPS officer and a senior administrative officer, who have had vast experience overseeing the Ganga Sagar mela during previous years as well, have also been assigned to supervise the preparations and thereafter. Directions have been given to set up a permanent bus stand and also to ensure that no unnecessary congestion takes place.

It is learnt that there will be sufficient number of vessels to ensure that people do not face trouble in reaching the island by crossing Muri Ganga river from the mainland. The state Irrigation department has also been directed in Friday's meeting to carry out dredging work at different locations on Muri Ganga to ensure easy movement of the vessels. The state Civil Defence department will also place speed boats and other arrangements to combat if any untoward situation arises. The concerned officials have also been asked to take necessary steps to keep the island free from open defecation during the Mela.

In a bid to keep the ground clean and green, women-friendly toilets will be set up and there will be volunteers to urge people to use dustbins instead to keep the area neat and clean. Moreover, a real time monitoring system will be introduced using which all senior administrative and police officers will be able to watch live footages of all the transit and other crucial points in their mobile phones.