Kolkata, Jan 11 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that a total of Rs 700 crore has been spent by her government for the conservation, construction and renovation of various pilgrimage sites in the state.
She said that the renovation work of Kali temple in Kalighat is going on.
The Kalighat temple in its present form is 200 years old, although its mention was found in literature of the 15th century.
Banerjee said the state handed over some of the responsibilities to Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Group.
"Reliance is not doing all the renovation work at Kalighat. They are working on the dome of the temple. We have spent Rs 165 crore while they are spending Rs 35 crore. I will tell the Mayor (Firhad Hakim) to finish the work soon so it can be inaugurated during Poila Baisakh (in April). I will also ask the police to cooperate," she said.
The chief minister said that her government has also spent Rs 205 crore for building a Jagannath temple in Digha on the model of the famous temple in Puri.
Several other religious sites such as the Shiva temple at Tarakeswar in Hooghly district and the Kankalitala temple in Birbhum district were also renovated, Banerjee said.