Mamata Banerjee postpones North Bengal visit due to forecast of bad weather

KOLKATA: Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has postponed her North Bengal visit and has rescheduled it on September 29 and 30.
A Nabanna official said in view of the Met department’s forecast of depression in Bengal for the next few days, Banerjee has decided to stay at Nabanna control room to monitor the situation. He added that the CM has asked all districts to remain alert, particularly those in coastal areas.
The official said the CM decided to change her programme schedule due to forecast of inclement weather.Earlier, it was decided that Banerjee would leave for Siliguri on Monday to start her administrative meeting. She would have stayed there till September 24. This has been pushed back by a week. This is CM’s first visit to North Bengal since the Covid-19 outbreak in March. She will visit Siliguri after a gap of almost six months.
“In view of the meteorological forecast of inclement weather in West Bengal in the next few days... the Hon’ble Chief Minister’s ensuing North Bengal district review meetings are being postponed to 29th and 30th September,” the notification said.
The CM is expected to stay at Uttar Kanya — the North Bengal branch secretariat — and would also hold meetings with North Bengal development minister Rabindranath Ghosh and tourism minister Gautam Deb in addition to North Bengal district officials.
Sources hinted that most meetings would be through video-conferences. Banerjee might hold closed-door meetings with some political leaders, sources said. Sources claimed that some functionaries of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration and that of Lepcha Welfare Board and Bhutia Welfare Board might call on her there.