Pilgrims and devotees have started reaching Kolkata to proceed for the 10-day Gangasagar mela which is scheduled to begin from January 8, 2024. On Wednesday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced that VIP convoys with hooters would be prohibited from the mela, and 200km-long barricades would be put up for crowd control. As part of the annual mela, CM Banerjee held a review meeting to assess the preparations. According to the chief minister, 1,150 CCTV cameras, 20 drones, 2400 civil defence forces, and 6,500 volunteers would be deployed during the mela
Arnab Dutta