Kurseong, Jan. 30: After more than four decades, Mirik once again features in the travel plans of the governor of West Bengal.

Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi will visit Mirik, around 35 km from here, on Saturday to inaugurate the Mirik Lake revival project to be undertaken by Siliguri-Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA).

This is the first time any governor is touring the picturesque lake town since the Left Front came to power in the state. This despite the fact that a past governor, A.L. Dias, had played an integral role in the conception of the town as a tourist spot.

In 1972, then governor Dias came to Mirik and was enchanted by the beauty of the place. It was on Dias?s advice that then Congress chief minister Siddhartha Shankar Ray started the Mirik tourism project. Mirik Lake, however, was officially inaugurated as a tourist destination during the Left rule with chief minister Jyoti Basu doing the honours in 1979.

Over the years, the lake has proved to be a major draw for visitors to the Darjeeling hills. It has been a source of income for residents of Mirik and has given the town an identity of its own.

Under the revival project, the SJDA plans to clean up the lake, repair the banks and set up a sewerage treatment plant. The state and Centre together have already sanctioned Rs 2.5 crore for the project, expected to cost Rs 3 crore.

The governor?s trip has created a flurry in the town, said local CPM leader S.K. Tamang. ?The residents are very happy,? Tamang said. ?The pace of development in Mirik is increasing and that has come as a huge relief for everybody around here.?