'Digha to be an international tourist attraction', Mamata ahead of Jagannath temple inauguration

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday expressed hope that Digha would grow into an international tourist attraction after the newly-built Jagannath Temple is inaugurated on April 30. Digha is a popular sea resort town in Purba Medinipore district in the southern part of West Bengal. Banerjee, who reached here on Monday afternoon, said that the temple will serve as a place for congregation of people for the next several thousand years. "This temple will definitely add a new feather to the state's cap. Digha will grow into an international tourist attraction. This will serve as a place of harmony," Banerjee said. "Because of the sea, Digha has a special charm. Now, if it becomes a place of pilgrimage, more tourists will come. I think the sculptors have done a splendid job," she said. The newly-built Jagannath Temple, a replica of the 12th-century shrine in Puri, is scheduled to be inaugurated on April 30 on the auspicious occasion of the 'Akshay Trithiya'. Digha is around 350 km from Puri. The CM reviewed the preparations for the grand inauguration of the Jagannath Temple. "The rituals... the yajna will continue till tomorrow. On the day after tomorrow, there will be preparations for installing the idols. The inauguration will take place after that," she said. Later in the evening, Banerjee again went to the temple for another round of review of the preparations. She went around the temple premises and spent at least half an hour enquiring about the rituals. The CM also went inside the main temple. "I have come here to see the preparations for Wednesday's inauguration. Everything seems to be in place," she said.