Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will visit Gangasagar on January 5 to review last-minute preparations for the 2026 Gangasagar Mela.
Banerjee will reach the Sagar Islands by helicopter in the afternoon and hold a meeting with administrative and police officials. During the visit, she is also expected to lay foundation stones and inaugurate several projects. The Chief Minister will visit Bharat Sevashram Sangha and offer prayers at the Kapil Muni temple. She is scheduled to return on January 6.
Earlier, while chairing a high-level review meeting at Nabanna on December 15, Banerjee issued clear and stern instructions to ministers and officials that no form of “VIP culture” would be tolerated during the Mela.
She stressed that ordinary pilgrims must not be made to wait for hours or face inconvenience due to the movement of red-beacon vehicles or any preferential treatment for VIPs. Her message was unequivocal: the Gangasagar Mela belongs to the common people, and ensuring their comfort and safety will be the government’s top priority.The state administration is working on a war footing to complete all infrastructure-related works to ensure a hassle-free experience for pilgrims ahead of the Chief Minister’s visit.
“This year we are expecting a record turnout of pilgrims at the Gangasagar Mela as the Kumbh Mela is not being held. In view of this, infrastructure facilities, including arrangements for lodging, drinking water, toilets and waste management, are being augmented. The number of sheds and hangars for pilgrims’ accommodation is being doubled,” said a senior official of the South 24 Parganas district administration.
The district administration is also likely to create an additional bus stand to facilitate smooth boarding and deboarding of pilgrims.
The holy dip, popularly known as ‘Purna Snan’, will be held on January 14 on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. The Gangasagar Mela will be held from January 10 to 16.