Kolkata’s Boimela ground will host 50,000 beneficiaries of the Annapurna scheme on September 17 as part of programmes planned for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday, with the state government directing the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and neighbouring district administrations to arrange their participation, according to a state government official quoted by the Times of India.
Modi is likely to address the gathering through video conference, while West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to interact with beneficiaries at the venue. Some beneficiaries may also be invited on stage, the official said. The arrangements will involve the KMC and the administrations of Howrah, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas.
The announcement followed a meeting between state ministers and senior government officials with representatives of chambers of commerce, the Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India, hospitality bodies, universities, the railways and the Victoria Memorial authorities. Urban development and municipal affairs minister Agnimitra Paul and minister of state Umesh Rai attended the meeting.
The government has also asked businesses, hotels, restaurants and other institutions to light diyas at their offices and buildings on September 17. Rai said the appeal was intended to illuminate the city as part of the birthday celebrations. The programme will require coordination between civic authorities, district administrations, public institutions and private organisations across Kolkata and its surrounding districts.
In Kolkata, the KMC is procuring 8.5 lakh lamps for decoration at multiple ghats along the Hooghly. City legislators will each receive 50,000 lamps for use in their constituencies. The KMC and Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port have identified more than 10 ghats for illumination on the evening of September 17.
The locations listed for illumination include Baja Kadamtala Ghat, Ma er Ghat, Kumartuli Ghat, Nimtala Ghat, Armenian Ghat, Chotelal Ki Ghat, Doighat, Suriname Ghat, Mullick Ghat, Babughat, Jagannath Ghat and Judges Ghat. Baja Kadamtala Ghat, described as one of the largest among them, is expected to receive 1 lakh lamps.
The KMC will also mark Modi’s 25 years in public office with a series of programmes beginning on September 17. These include a three-day camp for enrolment in welfare schemes and the lighting of diyas. The state government’s announced next steps are the mobilisation of beneficiaries, completion of lamp procurement and coordination of the Boimela ground event and ghat illumination programme before September 17.
