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After a muted Durga Puja, Bengal prepares for winter’s fairs and festivals
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has directed various departments to explore if fairs could be held in various districts which would not only help the artisans to sell their handicrafts but would also help the government to showcase its projects ahead of the Bengal assembly election next year.
After celebrating a muted Durga Puja and the Calcutta High Court imposing multiple restrictions on Kali Puja and other pujas, Bengal is now looking forward to its multiple fairs and festivals that are organized every year during the winter.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has directed various departments to explore if fairs could be held in various districts which would not only help the artisans to sell their handicrafts but would also help the government to showcase its projects ahead of the Bengal polls.
“The chief minister, in a recent administrative meeting, has asked officials to explore whether in each of the blocks in the districts small fairs and exhibitions could be organised. Officials have been directed to plan from now so that the fairs could be held during the peak winter months of December and January,” a senior official.
Starting from November, multiple fairs and festivals are organized in Kolkata and in the districts that attract lakhs of visitors. Artisans and traders from across the state participate in the fairs to sell their products resulting in a huge volume of trade.
The list includes some of the biggest fairs and festivals such as the International Kolkata Book Fair, the Kolkata International Film Festival (KIFF), the handicraft fair, trade fair and food festival. In January the Ganga Sagar Mela, the second largest congregation of pilgrims in India after the Kumbh Mela, is held.
“While preparations have already begun for the Ganga Sagar Mela, the KIFF has been postponed till January. Talks are yet to be held to hold the book fair,” said a senior official.
The chief minister has also asked the tourism department and the MSME department to explore whether small fairs could be organized in and around the tourist destinations in the coming months.
“This would not just help to promote tourism but would also help to support the local artisans. Some of the fairs have been started by the TMC government after it came to power,” said the official.
