TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee cancels Goa visit ahead of Assembly polls

Kolkata: A day after TMC national secretary Abhishek Banerjee claimed that all activities should be postponed for two months, the MP on Sunday cancelled his Goa visit ahead of the Assembly polls.

According to TMC sources, Banerjee was supposed to make a four-day visit to Goa to decide upon various aspects ahead of the Assembly polls scheduled next month.

It can be recalled that on Saturday after taking part in an administrative meeting in Alipore Administrative Building, the TMC national secretary claimed that in keeping with the rise in Covid positive cases, he personally feels that all socio-political activities should be postponed by two months in order to break the chain.

Meanwhile, amidst rise in Covid active cases, several places in the state have decided to impose partial lockdown to break the chain.

In Siuri at Birbhum district, the administration has decided to shift the marketplace to a big ground so that social distancing can be maintained and the market will remain open from 6 am to 10 am following which all the shops will remain closed till January 15.

The Tarapith temple also in Birbhum district will though remain open but all the hotels will be kept shut till mid-January and the existing tourists are asked to vacate the hotels by Monday 12 noon.

The Behrampore Municipal Corporation has also decided to keep the shops open till 2 pm till the chain of the covid positivity rates goes down.

Amid rising number of COVID cases in the state, the positivity rate reached 57.98% in Kolkata and South 24 Parganas district reaching 46.44%, various belts of South 24 Parganas have introduced localized lockdowns and containment zones.

It can be noted that the Gangasagar Mela which is also situated in South 24 Parganas has already started from January 8 and will go on till January 16. Rapid covid tests are being performed at the pilgrims who are visiting the fair and masks are being distributed in order to maintain pandemic protocols.

In South Dum Dum, all the marketplaces will remain closed on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday so that people don’t venture out.

Published on: Sunday, January 09, 2022, 09:16 PM IST