CM reviews Gangasagar Mela preparation, asks officers to ensure no preferential treatment for VIPs

Kolkata, Dec 15 (PTI) West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday reviewed preparations for the upcoming Gangasagar Mela in South 24 Parganas district, and directed officers to ensure no preferential treatment for VIPs, officials said.

Asking officers to ensure strict security arrangements, she said special measures should be taken for crowd management, they said.

She said that state ministers will visit the mela site on January 12 for on-ground inspections.

Banerjee reiterated that arrangements should ensure the smooth movement of pilgrims and that no preferential treatment for VIPs should disrupt public convenience, officials said.

Around 3,500 volunteers will be deployed at the site this year to assist pilgrims, they said.

Each devotee will be provided with a special band and covered under an insurance scheme, they added.

The state government will arrange 2,500 buses and 250 launches, besides 21 jetties, to facilitate the smooth movement of pilgrims, an official said.

The Gangasagar Mela, held in mid-January at Sagar Island, draws lakhs of pilgrims who gather to take a holy dip at the confluence of the Hooghly river and the Bay of Bengal on Makar Sankranti. PTI SCH SOM