Rs 500 crore facelift for Gangasagar Island

KOLKATA: The Gangasagar Island at the confluence of River Ganga and Bay of Bengal will get a major facelift with the Centre sanctioning Rs 500 crore for its overall development.

"The central government has approved nearly Rs 500 crore for developing Gangasagar Island during a meeting at New Delhi yesterday," West Bengal Irrigation Minister Rajiv Banerjee told PTI here today.

"I presented the proposal for the project under the National Ganga River Basin Authority before Union Minister for Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti, who sanctioned it immediately," Banerjee said.

"It will include drainage, sewerage, water purification, sewerage treatment, night shelters, construction of ring road and beautification," he said after coming back from Delhi.

Gangasagar Island, with an area of 224 sq km, witnesses an annual congregation of lakhs of people from different parts of the country in January during 'Makar Sankranti', a Hindu festival.

"The Union ministry has sanctioned the project on the condition that the Centre will provide 70 per cent funds, while the state will give the rest 30 per cent.

"We have, however, asked for 100 per cent financing by the Centre given the state's poor financial health," Banerjee said adding "the Union Minister has agreed to consider the demand."