4 months ago
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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee connected Monday (January 5, 2026) laid the instauration chromatic of a 5-km-long span implicit the stream Muriganga to link Sagar Island with the mainland. Sagar is the biggest land of the Sundarbans archipelago, wherever the yearly Gangasagar Mela pilgrimage is held connected the juncture of Makar Sankranti.
Estimated to outgo ₹1,670 crore, the four-lane span volition link Lot 8 successful Kakdwip to Kachuberia connected Sagar Island.
The Chief Minister expressed anticipation that the span volition amended concern and commerce and facilitate question for pilgrims visiting the Gangasagar Mela. It is believed that the stream Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal astatine Sagar Island successful beforehand of Kapil Muni Temple, and each twelvemonth lakhs of devotees descend connected the distant land to instrumentality a beatified dip connected the juncture of Makar Sankranti.
“I consciousness proud, adjacent if lone a little, for the radical of Bengal, for tourists from crossed the world, for pilgrims and for everyone, including those successful the distant areas of the Sundarbans. We bash not praise ourselves, but our actions talk louder than words,” Ms. Banerjee said astatine the nationalist gathering.
The Chief Minister said that it would instrumentality 2 to 3 years to implicit the bridge, and a declaration for the task has been awarded to L&T (Larsen & Toubro). Ms. Banerjee had earlier said that she had requested the Union Government to assistance conception the bridge, but aft repeated requests, since determination was nary connection from the Centre, the State Government decided to instrumentality up the project.
The Chief Minister said that since her authorities came to powerfulness successful 2011, 37 small, mean and ample bridges person been built successful South 24 Parganas. She besides said that it has go easier to spell to Bakkhali owed to the operation of bridges implicit the Hatania-Dowania rivers. She said that energy has present reached Sagar Island, and during her government’s tenure, the Sundarbans Police District was created.
Ms. Banerjee said that though the Central Government gave wealth for the Kumbh Mela, it did not springiness immoderate assistance for the Gangasagar Mela.
She besides visited Bharat Sevashram Sangh connected Sagar Island and announced that if a communal idiosyncratic oregon a authorities worker dies during the fair, his oregon her household volition beryllium compensated. She said that earlier, pilgrims had to wage taxation erstwhile they visited Gangasagar, but the authorities withdrew it aft coming to power.
