West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday claimed that Gangasagar Mela is "bigger than Kumbh Mela" and thus the Centre should accord national fair status to it.
She said that the Centre provides thousands of crores of rupees for holding the Kumbh Mela, but the West Bengal government has to make all provisions for the annual Gangasagar Mela, held at Kapil Muni temple at the confluence of river Ganga and the Bay of Bengal on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.
"We have been trying to get the national fair status for the Gangasagar Mela in vain for the last 10 years," Mamata Banerjee said after inaugurating the fair from Outram Ghat transit point on the bank of river Ganga (Hooghly) here.
"This is no less than Kumbh Mela, but is bigger than that," she said adding that announcements will be made at the fair site in various languages for pilgrims coming from all corners of the country.
She said that it is easy to reach Kumbh Mela by road, air and train, but it is very difficult to go to Sagar Island, which is situated around 130 km from Kolkata, since the pilgrims have to cross a river by ferry on the way.
"If you see from the angle of difficulty in transit, Gangasagar Mela is much tougher than Kumbh Mela," she said.
She said that one has to cross river Muriganga and then travel by road again for 30 kms.
Mamata Banerjee said that 32 vessels and 100 motor launches have been arranged for the pilgrims to cross the river, which will run for 20 hours a day.
The CM said that around 4,000 to 5,000 buses come from different places across the country with pilgrims.
She said that several NGOs and other institutions, apart from the police and administration, work in tandem to ensure safe and smooth pilgrimage during the fair from January 9 to January 17.
Mamata Banerjee said that her government abolished the pilgrimage tax, which used to be levied earlier, for the Gangasagar Mela.
She said that to facilitate the pilgrims to avoid any language-related barriers as they come from various corners of the country, the state government has arranged for volunteers to accompany each bus travelling to and from Gangasagar.
"Our government has arranged for an insurance cover of Rs five lakh for everyone visiting Gangasagar Mela from January 9 to 17," Mamata Banerjee said.
The CM said that extensive medical facilities have been made for the pilgrims with a 550-bed hospital, air ambulance, water ambulance and other infrastructure.
The CM said that her government has been urging the central government for the last 10 years to construct a bridge over river Muriganga so that the fair site can be connected directly by road from Kolkata, but nothing has been done yet.
"So we have decided to construct the bridge on our own and have already allotted Rs 1,500 crore for the project," she said.
Mamata Banerjee said that a detailed project report (DPR) has been completed and the tendering process for the project has also been done.
"It will take two to three years to complete the construction of the five-km long four-lane bridge," she said.
Assuring devotees all amenities for a hassle-free pilgrimage, Mamata Banerjee said that the pilgrims are guests of the state and should always feel at home during their stay here.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
