‘Tourism is an important industry and we will do everything required to develop the tourism infrastructure of the area,’ Mamata announced. With a view to promote tourism, Mamata Banerjee government has decided to undertake infrastructural development in the Sagar Island in South 24 Parganas district.

The area is famous for Gangasagar Mela, which is almost comparable to Kumbh Mela. The CM inaugurated the restoration work of the Kapil Muni Ashram premises. The Kapil Muni Temple, some 140 km from Kolkata, is one of the most popular pilgrimage spots in the country. The Gangasagar Mela draws lakhs of devotees every year. The Sagar Island is quite huge - some 300sqkm across, and has 43 villages with a population of over 160,000. 

Earlier, the government brought electricity to the island. Mamata wants the Sagar Mela to be a pilgrim centre of international standards. She promised to make arrangements for building 15 cyclone-centres in the area and the people would get three cottachs of land each to build houses and start a business venture under "Nija bhumi, nija griha" (own land, own house) scheme. The farmers would get loans under Kishan Credit Card and crop insurance would be made available to them, Mamata said. The state government has also taken up a programme to set up cold storages in 371 blocks in the state to enable the farmers to store their produce.

The secular minded Chief Minister who at the same time worships Kali in her own home, loved to spend quite some time with Temple Mahanta Gyan Das. She reached Sagar Island on Friday morning. She will also visit the temple of Kapil Muni.

"The port trust and the government are already working on developing a deep sea port here, which will energise the economy and generate employment for the people of the area. The government also donated 10 acres of land on which tourist centres and other facilities will be developed. Apart from developing roads and concretising the jetties, a university and a medical college will also be set up here.

Nothing was done during the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government. Criticising the previous Left Front government for failing to bring in development in the area, she said, "We don't indulge in spreading canard. We will show how to work.” Congress and CPI (M) are however, as usual critical of the Sagar visit of Mamata. Sankar Pathak, a former CPI (M) supporter-turned Trinamool activist, said ironically, “ CPI (M) leaders know nothing but negative approach and they only relished power for the last three decades”.