Some visit to take photographs, we work for overall dev of temple: CM

Kolkata: Without naming senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday took a dig at him over his recent visit to Dakshineswar Kali Temple stating it to be as a

publicity stunt by taking photographs.

"Some visit just to take photographs. But we have worked and ensured an overall development of the temple

and its surrounding areas," Banerjee said after inaugurating a series of development projects of Dakshineswar Kali Temple.

It may be mentioned that Shah went to Dakshineswar Kali Temple during his recent visit to Bengal last week.

The projects that has given a complete new look to the area around the temple include light and sound arrangement to showcase the heritage, history and tradition of Dakshineswar, musical spring, security arrangement at all ghats along river Hooghly at the area, construction of road connecting "bhog ghar" of the temple and residential quarters for workers.

The completion of the projects at Dakshineswar worth Rs 19 crore comes just ahead of Kali Puja. More than 1.3 crore devotees including foreign pilgrims visit Dakshineswar Kali Temple round the year and lakhs of people turn up during Kali Puja every year. But the scenario this year would be a different one with the Covid situation in place.

Giving reference to the skywalk that was set up at Dakshineswar a couple of

years ago, Banerjee said: "It is our government that has given a new look to the area by taking a series of development projects in the past nine years." It was in 2018 when the skywalk project that involves a whooping Rs 65 crore was inaugurated.

Trinamool Congress MP Sougata Roy, minister of state for planning, statistics and programme monitoring department Tapas Roy and Chairperson Board of Administrator of Kamarhati Municipality Gopal Saha were present at the Dakshineswar Kali Temple end when the Chief Minister inaugurated the projects in virtual mode from Nabanna Sabhaghar.