West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she would form a committee, that will be headed by the health secretary, to monitor the Covid situation in the state.
Kolkata,UPDATED: Dec 21, 2022 23:36 IST
Mamata Banerjee made the announcement while reviewing the preparations for the Gangasagar Mela at the state secretariat Nabanna in West Bengal’s Kolkata on Wednesday. (Screengrab)
By Anupam Mishra: With Covid-19 raging in China and the Centre asking states to increase genome sequencing to track new variants and curb the spread of the infection, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she would form a committee, that will be headed by the health secretary, to monitor the Covid situation in the state.
Mamata Banerjee made the announcement while reviewing the preparations for the Gangasagar Mela at the state secretariat Nabanna in West Bengal’s Kolkata on Wednesday.
Mamata Banerjee spotted a person attending the review meeting wearing a mask and asked if he was afraid of the Covid wave raging in China. She went on to explain how China was following restrictions earlier but the situation spiralled out of control after the curbs were lifted.
When party functionaries informed that an increasing number of Covid cases have been reported from nations, such as China and South Korea, and that many people are succumbing to the infection, the West Bengal Chief Minister said that a committee would be formed, that will be headed by the health secretary, to monitor the situation in the state.
GANGASAGAR MELA FROM JANUARY 8 TO 17
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said Gangasagar Mela will be held from January 8 to 17. “Makar Sankranti will be observed on January 15. The holy bath will start from January 14,” she said.
“We are proud of the Gangasagar Mela…we managed to conduct this mela even when Covid was raging in the state,” said Mamata Banerjee.
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Around 2,250 government buses, 500 private buses, four barges, 32 vessels, 100 launches and 21 jetties will be pressed into service for the convenience of those attending the fair. Mamata Banerjee said she has also requested the Indian railways to increase the frequency of trains plying between Howrah, Sealdah and Namkhana.
As many as 3,000 volunteers will be deployed to clean the river. “This time, we are trying to organise the mela in an eco-friendly manner. Intensive care units, specialist doctors, nurses and ambulances with green corridor facility will also be in place.”
Before reviewing the preparations for the fair, Mamata Banerjee also inaugurated Krishak Bandhu project as part of which a corpus of Rs 2,555 crore was distributed among 91 lakh farmers.
