With just hours left for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally at Dum Dum Central Jail Maidan on Friday, organisers are battling unusual challenges—a rain-soaked, mud-filled ground and even snakes emerging after waterlogging. The Bengal BJP has been forced into near “wartime preparations,” deploying earth movers, rollers, pumps and even carbolic acid to make the venue ready in time.
The Prime Minister is scheduled to arrive in Kolkata on Friday to inaugurate three new metro lines, attend an administrative meeting and address a political rally at the sprawling Dum Dum ground.
However, continuous rain over the past week left the venue flooded. It took nearly two and a half days of pumping to remove the water, after which several snakes spotted.
"Carbolic acid has been spread and shrubs cleared to ensure the reptiles do not pose a threat during the rally," said Chandicharan Roy, BJP’s Kolkata North Suburbs organisational district president.
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Even after draining the water, the ground remained heavily damaged, forcing organisers to spread white and yellow sand and soil across the field, followed by leveling with rollers. Sections of the venue, including the seating areas, are still so muddy that plywood platforms have been placed over iron frames to support chairs. For the stage areas, fly ash paver blocks have been installed to create a solid foundation.
Two separate setups are being built—a smaller stage with canopy for the administrative meeting and a larger political stage with three hangers for the crowd. Channels are also being dug between the two meeting areas to prevent further waterlogging in case of rain on Friday.
Roy criticised the poor upkeep of the field, saying, “This is a huge ground in a densely populated area, but because of negligence it became unusable. If properly maintained, it could have hosted sports all year. Now, crores are being spent just to make it usable for one meeting."
Meanwhile, senior BJP leaders and top state police officials have been making frequent visits to oversee both the progress of the ground preparation and security arrangements ahead of the Prime Minister’s arrival.
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