Mamata Banerjee to officially announce Sundarbans, Basirhat as two new West Bengal districts

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is expected to officially announce Sundarbans and Basirhat as two new districts of the state during an administrative meeting scheduled on November 29, a senior official said on Monday. The two districts are set to be carved out of South and North 24 Parganas districts, he said. "All the necessary work to create the two new districts has been completed. The CM is likely to announce the names tomorrow in Hingalganj during the administrative meeting," the official told PTI.

The Chief Minister will begin her three-day tour of the mangrove area of Sundarbans from Monday. The district of Sundarbans is likely to have around 13 blocks of South 24 Parganas while Basirhat may have six of North 24 Parganas, he said.

Sundarbans, a UNESCO World Heritage site, currently is spread over North and South 24 Parganas districts, while Basirhat is a sub-division of North 24 Parganas. West Bengal currently has 23 districts.

The state had to bear a cost of at least ₹ 200 crore to create each district, the official said. Ms Banerjee will perform 'Pratiki Puja' (nature worship) at Hingalganj to protect inhabitants from elephant attacks, the official said.

"I will perform 'Prakriti Puja' in Hingalganj. Of late, elephant attacks have increased as jumbos are straying out of forests in search of food," she had on November 25 said in the assembly.

She had also expressed concern over Sundarbans facing natural calamities such as cyclones and floods every year and said her government has submitted a master plan for the development of the area to the NITI Aayog.

"We have submitted the master plan for Sundarbans to the NITI Aayog. Every year, there are cyclones and floods. If there is a master plan, the problem will be solved. I will ask the forest minister to look into the matter more seriously," she added. On Wednesday, Ms Banerjee is scheduled to visit Sajnekahli in South 24 Parganas.