State to chalk out plan to prevent erosion at Kapil Muni Ashram

Kolkata: State Irrigation and Waterways minister Partha Bhowmick held an emergency meeting on Friday after erosion was spotted near Kapil Muni Ashram in Ganga Sagar. Temporary police camp in the Ganga Sagar has to be relocated, sources said.

State Irrigation and Waterways department is eager to implement a master plan before the next year's Mela to check erosion further and thereby check any damage of the Ashram is not damaged. A team led by the minister may be visiting the spot on Saturday to assess the situation. Bhowmick carried out a detailed meeting with the senior officials and the engineers of his department on how to check erosion on an emergency basis. Master plan will be taken up to ensure that the age-old Ashram remains intact.

The beach within 500-metre of the Kapil Muni temple, the centre of the Ganga Sagar Mela, has been facing steady erosion, prompting the Bengal government to take measures to prevent deterioration of the shoreline, an official said. The official also said that erosion in this part is natural and it happens due to the reduction of the tidal prism and associated chain effects. Cyclone Yaas in May 2021 had aggravated the situation.

The beach near the Kapil Muni ashram vanished due to erosion. It's around 450 metres away from the temple. Three roads near the temple are also vulnerable. Water is gradually approaching the ashram. Apart from the Mela area, erosion has been witnessed in Bankimnagar, Sumatinagar and Shibpur areas of the Island and the Irrigation and Waterways department has already taken certain steps to arrest them.