September 4, 2014
Mamata Banerjee to be the first CM of Bengal to trek to Sandakphu
West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee will be the first Chief Minister of the State to trek to Sandakphu, the highest peak of the State, at over 12,000 feet.
The Chief Minister, who was on a three day visit to Darjeeling district, has expressed her desire to trek to Sandakphu. After attending a programme of the Lepcha Development Board at Kalimpong, the Chief Minister trekked to Deolo hills, which was about 6 km away from the spot. The trek took around one and half hours.
It is expected that the Chief Minister will take up the Sandakphu trek in October, when she will be visiting the Hills on the day of Dashami. The tripto Sandakphu is a 26 km trek which starts at Maneybhanjan.
During the Singur Movement, Ms Mamata Banerjee had taken up a 26 day fast at Dharmatala, so hardship is nothing new to the firebrand leader who is now the Chief Minister of the state. It may be expected that after the Chef Minister's trek, more and more people will be interested to take this trip , bringing more popularity to the tourism sector in North Bengal.
