Kolkata: CM Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday said the Bengal govt had allocated Rs 1,200 crore for Sundarbans development and promised to inaugurate the Muriganga bridge by 2029, accusing the previous Trinamool govt of siphoning funds and making false promises about the project.Addressing a service delivery programme in Kakdwip, South 24 Parganas, Adhikari alleged the previous govt had allocated Rs 600 crore for Sundarbans in 2025-26 but executed only Rs 200 crore worth of work, with a substantial portion of the remainder siphoned off.“We have increased the allocation to Rs 1,200 crore. Tenders have been floated for 553 works in the first phase. In the second phase, 2,649 projects will be taken up,” he said. “The previous govt made false promises about the Muriganga bridge. It did not acquire land or prepare a DPR. I promise I will inaugurate the bridge here in 2029.”Adhikari directed the South 24 Parganas DM and Kakdwip SDO to issue CAA certificates to eligible refugees before his next Sagar Island visit in Jan. “Before I return on Jan 10 to review Gangasagar Mela preparations, the DM and SDO must ensure all refugees receive their CAA certificates. The home secretary will oversee the matter,” he said. Certificate holders would be able to apply for electoral roll inclusion in Jan, he added.Adhikari urged victims of post-poll violence after the 2021 assembly elections to file fresh FIRs. “I will put all of them behind bars. I will not spare anyone who committed atrocities after the 2021 elections,” he said. He also warned of action against those accused of misappropriating Cyclone Amphan relief funds and MGNREGA allocations.Without naming Mamata Banerjee, Adhikari said the former CM who had “Maa Kali put in a prison van in Suryanagar” had herself been put in a prison van in Delhi on Mahalaya. “This is the strength of Sanatan,” he said.Adhikari announced plans to develop Kakdwip as a separate district, connect Sundarbans islands through improved transport, and develop Gangasagar Mela into an international tourism destination.He also called for vigilance against Maoist, terrorist, and jihadist activities, urged an end to child marriage and drug abuse, and said 11,000 police personnel had been recruited with one lakh jobs promised within a year.Sundarbans affairs dept in KakdwipInset: The state govt will set up the Sundarbans Affairs department secretariat at Kakdwip, chief secretary Manoj Agarwal said Saturday. All officers of the department will work from there, with a branch office in Kolkata. “The chief minister has taken a policy decision today. The DM will provide land for the secretariat,” Agarwal said.
