Transport dept to run special buses for Ganga Sagar Mela

Kolkata: State Transport department is all set to run special bus service for Ganga Sagar Mela 2021.

"Ganga Sagar Mela special bus service will be available from Howrah and Babu Ghat to Lot No. 8 jetty of Kakdwip (from where people leave for Sagar Island). The special service will be available from January 12 to January 16," said an official. He reiterated that there would be a total of 2,200 trips (1,300 to be provided by West Bengal Transport Corporation and 900 trips to be provided by South Bengal State Transport Corporation).

The bus fare from Howrah to Lot No. 8 jetty will be Rs 70. The fare from Babughat to Lot No. 8 jetty will be Rs 65.

"During normal days, the bus fare is Rs 80. We will give discounts to pilgrims during Ganga Sagar Mela," pointed out the official.

Ganga Sagar has already emerged as a major tourist destination with the Mamata Banerjee government giving it a massive infrastructural boost. People now visit the place throughout the year and not just during the Mela.

The Mamata Banerjee government is taking a slew of measures—starting from swab sample testing facility to proper maintenance of physical distancing for Covid management—during Ganga Sagar Mela to ensure safety of lakhs of pilgrims who take the holy dip at the confluence of river Ganga and Bay of Bengal on the auspicious day of Makar Sankranti mid-January.