Mamata Banerjee Surprises Alipurduar Residents with Walkabout, Orders Road Repair

As part of her ongoing outreach in north Bengal, chief minister Mamata Banerjee surprised the people of Alipurduar on Saturday by going for a walk around the town, where she engaged with kids and other locals and gave the order to fix a road that led to the local university.

After arriving at the Parade Ground from Bagdogra in a helicopter, Mamata made her way to the circuit house. This is the first time the chief minister has resided in the district headquarters since she declared Alipurduar to be a separate district in 2014.

The chief minister went for a stroll in the afternoon after spending a short time at the circuit house. Hundreds of people congregated along the side of the road to try to get a sight of her or to take pictures and videos.

In the bustling neighborhood of College Halt, Basudeb Biswas, who was enjoying a cup of tea at a stand, said he was taken aback.

"All of a sudden, I saw people racing down the street. I was taken aback to see the chief minister as I emerged from the restroom. It was an unprecedented experience. Never before have I seen a chief minister go about the city with such ease. She smiled as she welcomed us," Biswas said.

The shopkeeper Ratan Das was similarly shocked. People started running in the direction of the road. I emerged out of curiosity. I had never imagined being able to see the chief minister up close. She welcomed some and conversed with others. Politicians these days seldom ever make gestures like that, so Das thought it was special.

Upon arriving at College Halt, Mamata proceeded down the main road in the town, Buxa Feeder Road, which caused an increasing number of people to congest the streets.

The chief minister saw a guy with physical disabilities who had staggered on the road while she was getting close to the district collectorate in Dooars Kanya. Her security guards raced to assist him in standing again.

Mamata approached him as well and inquired as to if he has a card for the state-run health insurance program, Swasthya Sathi. She requested him to come to the district hospital, and he agreed. You pay a hospital visit. The chief minister said, "If necessary, we would make arrangements for your medical care in Calcutta.

Then she went out on the road and spoke to kids. As Mamata proceeded towards Alipurduar University, she saw that the road was in poor shape. She requested that the local council member and the district magistrate take action to fix the road right away.

The chief minister strolled back to the circuit house after covering around two kilometers.

Mamata is scheduled to participate in a public service distribution event at the Parade Ground on Sunday. According to reports, she will also launch a number of initiatives and set the groundwork for others.

While on a seven-day trip in north Bengal, Mamata has been interacting with locals. She went to the Makaibari tea farm on Friday when she was in Kurseong and picked tea leaves among the female laborers.

She conversed with them over Darjeeling tea, gave out woolen garments to the community, and gave local dance companies props for their performance.