North Bengal gears up to welcome CM

Ujjal Bhattacharyya, EOI, Siliguri, 19 January: Strict security measures have been taken ahead of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s five days trip to North Bengal. During the first leg of her visit in Siliguri, CM will inaugurate the mini secretariat ‘Uttar Kannya’ in Fulbari and then announce the start of ‘Uttar Banga Utsav 2014’ at the Kanchenjungha Stadium tomorrow and leave for the hills.

Meanwhile, the engineers, electricians and decorators are busy finishing up with the final touches at the mini secretariat while the final rehearsals for the cultural programmes were staged at the Kanchenjungha Stadium this afternoon. North Bengal Development Minister Gautam Dev, SDO Deepa Priya and other eminent personalities inspected all the arrangements at the stadium today.

Popular singer Nachiketa Chakraborty, actor Prasenjit Chatterjee and others will attend the inaugural ceremony tomorrow while talents in various fields will be awarded.

Sources from the state police administration said the CM will land at the Bagdogra Airport and attend the inauguration function of the mini-secretariat at the Kamrangaguri area in Fulbari. Following the inauguration, she will attend a function at the Kanchenjungha Stadium where she will declare the launch of the Uttar Banga Utsav 2014 and the Ambari Industrial Estate.

During her visit to the hills, Banerjee will preside over a meeting in Mirik on January 21 and leave for Darjeeling the next day. She will attend an event and a seminar in Darjeeling on January 22 and 23 respectively and leave for Kolkata the next day. The minister is likely is initiate talks with various political leaders of the hills and the plains during her North Bengal trip.