Kolkata: Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday embarked on a 12-day tour of Spain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to seek investments for Bengal.
Banerjee’s flight to Dubai, which was scheduled around 8.30 am, was delayed by at least three hours.
An official from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport said that the flight, by which Banerjee and her team left for Dubai, had arrived late at Kolkata from the West Asian city. Chief Secretary H K Dwivedi is accompanying her on the trip.
Speaking to reporters at the airport, Banerjee said: “It’s been five years since we went abroad. Spain was the theme country of this year’s International Kolkata Book Fair. They are good in manufacturing and other industries. We will be participating in business conferences there. They (foreign delegates) come here again and again. But we don’t go. That’s why we are going now. A business conference is also scheduled in Dubai. I will keep you people informed from time to time.”
Banerjee is scheduled to spend the night in Dubai due to the unavailability of connecting flights, before flying to Spain’s capital Madrid the next day. On Wednesday, they will reach Madrid. There they have business summits and other meetings for three days.
From Madrid, the chief minister will head to Barcelona to hold business meetings for two-three days. The team will then return to Dubai and hold some more business meetings there.
They will return to Kolkata on September 23. Banerjee earlier said she and her team will return to Dubai, where one meeting on BGBS and some other meetings are scheduled.
“We will stay in Dubai for one-and-half days before returning to Kolkata on September 23,” she had said.
Due to the delay in the flight, the CM visited some outlets at the airport, including the state government’s Biswa Bangla store, where she drew the eyes of a small Durga idol.
It was learnt that former Indian cricket team captain Sourav Ganguly will join her team in Madrid. Banerjee is also expected to meet local football clubs in Barcelona and Madrid. She may also meet various industrialists.
One representative each from the football clubs of Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting Club is also accompanying her.
Sources in the state government said Banerjee may meet La Liga president Javier Tebas during her stay in Barcelona.
Senior officials of the Publishers and Booksellers Guild — Tridib Chatterjee and Sudhanshu De are accompanying the Chief Minister.
There may be an exchange of literature and culture between India and Spain.
Bengal may put up its stall in the book fair that will be held at the Spain Book Fair in 2025 where India may be the theme country.