Kolkata, Nov 6 — West Bengal Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, on Friday, announced the creation of a Rs 1,000 crore corpus for the renovation of old Hindu temples and monasteries in the state.
According to him, the project had been named the 'Tirtha Kshetra Circuit' or 'Pilgrimage Circuit', and the Rs 1,000 crore allocated for the project will be utilised over a period of two years to renovate old Hindu temples and monasteries in the state.
“We will spend Rs 1,000 crore in the next two years to renovate all the old Hindu monasteries and temples. I have named it the ‘Tirtha Kshetra Circuit’. Apart from private places, we will work to renovate the ancient temples that are run by religious institutions and even by the public. Such kind of work had already been done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kedar Dham, Badrinath Dham, Ayodhya Dham, Benaras, and Ujjain Mahakal,” the Chief Minister said while addressing the inauguration function of a community Kali Puja at Aranghata in Nadia district on Friday afternoon.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister also detailed the plans of the state government for the forthcoming religious festivals in the state.
“We have taken the initiative to decorate Chandannagar in Hooghly district and Krishnanagar in Nadia district specially for the forthcoming Jagaddhatri Puja. We have also taken the initiative to decorate Nabadwip and Shantipur in Nadia district and Cooch Behar specially for the Ras Purnima festival.
"We have declared this year's Gangasagar Mela an international fair. Preparations have already started for it. I will also go to Chandannagar and Krishnanagar for Jagaddhatri Puja. I will go to Nabadwip on the occasion of Ras Purnima festival and participate in the program on that auspicious occasion. On that day, I will also participate in religious activities at the abode of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu,” the Chief Minister said.
Speaking on the occasion, he also launched an attack against the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress and said, “Earlier, Durga idol immersions often faced problems. This year, there was no restriction or hurdle anywhere.”