Firhad Hakim is chairman of Tarakeswar Development Board, not Mandir Trust

Firhad Hakim, state Urban Development minister has been made chairman of the newly-formed Tarakeswar Development Board and not the Tarakeswar Mandir Trust as intentionally spread by some vested group.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, during the administrative review meeting held in Hooghly, recently announced the formation of the development board and made Hakim its chairman as he holds the Urban Development minister's portfolio.

The development board will look after the infrastructural development of the area like maintenance of roads, supply of drinking water, carrying out daily cleaning and sweeping and the like. The development board will not look after the affairs of the Tarakeswar Shiv temple. The temple is being looked after by a private trust and the state government has no business in intervening with its functioning.

As lakhs of pilgrims visit the temple town every year, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee chalked out an elaborate plan to carry out infrastructural development of the area. Thousands of devotees from neighbouring districts come to the temple on foot carrying water which they pour on the deity. To facilitate these devotees, the roads leading to the temple need maintenance throughout the year which is not possible for the municipality to maintain them.

The state government has also set up the Tarapith Rampurhat Development authority to improve the infrastructure of Tarapith, a place of pilgrimage in Birbhum district.

Tarakeswar temple was built in 1729. The temple is an atchala structure flanked by the shrines of Kali and Lakshmi Narayan. There is Dudpukur, a tank situated in the northern side of the temple. It is believed that the wishes of those who take a dip in the tank get fulfilled.